Psychographics
by Lubricht
Summary: In the midst of the Great War between Morroc and Prontera, numerous characters get involved in a series of events that spiral out of proportion. Extreme OC and Bonuses. Soon to be part of a larger continuity.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**

**Ragnarok Online **belongs to their respective copyright owners. The only ones that belong to me are the character names and the scenario that they all get involved with.

This work is totally fictional. Any resemblances to people, associations, and names are totally coincidental. No profit has been made by creating this fan fiction.

**Notes**

This is my first fan fiction, even though I have already created short stories and novels in the past, I don't consider them as fan fiction in general. I am always open to any kind of criticism and review, so feel free to do so after reading the first chapter. I take into consideration my reader's thoughts and feelings as well.

I found it disturbing that there is but a few Stalker-related fan fiction as I searched through the files. I decided to create one, since the Stalker class had always been my main character throughout the years. It deserves recognition as the most versatile class.

**Psychographics**

Prologue

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of a grumbling stomach coming from the most unexpected member of the Stalker's Desert Party.

"I thought you've eaten a lot today, Red." Seventh mumbled, obviously irritated.

"That's what you think, Seventh. I'm not fond of eating that much during the night. It ruins my figure." Red explained to his trusty comrade.

"Your figure? You're a guy, Red. A guy! What is going on with your head? Why would a guy be so conscious of his figure?" the irritated Stalker complained on and on, until he noticed that his friend was no longer talking at all. In fact, he wasn't laughing like the usual.

"H-hey… Red. What's the matter? You're really not yourself these days. Even the other guys are worried that our leader is becoming someone else! If you have a problem, man… feel free to talk to us about it. We may be idiots compared to you, but we have feelings as well."

"Seventh, you're overdoing it." Red replied to the Stalker who was now attempting to pinch his cheek as if it was some kind of rubbery material.

"Snap out of it, Red. I know it's not fun being a leader, but you can at least tell us if something's wrong." Seventh continued the conversation with visible concern.

"I will… don't worry. I try my best to be transparent when it comes to personal issues. One of these days, we'll all talk about it. Just tell the other guys to bear with me for the time being." Red replied, as if he was trying to cushion a deadly blow that the others might not be able to handle. "You'll all know everything."

"We have faith in you Red. Always." Seventh said sincerely. "The world may betray you, but we won't."

"You only think you're ready, Seventh… you only think you're ready." Red told him pessimistically.

"H-hey… what's that supposed to mean?" Seventh replied in confusion. "You're freaking me out boss!"

"Don't think about it too much. Sooner or later you will understand. It will come naturally." Red consoled his comrade.

"If you say so… then that's it. I'll go and tell the other guys about your "mysterious" demeanor as of the moment… and see if they'll accept your proposal of a meeting this week." Seventh mentioned while preparing to leave.

"Yes, please do. Thanks, Seventh." Red replied in gratitude.

"No problem. Just call us and the guys when you need anything. See you." Seventh turned and left.

There was silence for about fifteen minutes after Seventh left Red alone in his quarters. There was nothing to do during the cold desert nights. Morroc was very hostile to almost any life… and only a few will be able to thrive and live as if the heat and cold didn't affect them at all.

Again, his stomach grumbled.

Red decided to check his belongings before going to sleep. Everything was still in his bag. Everything he had lived for and everything that he will live for was all inside. "No one must know its contents… ever." Red thought. "I may be forced to kill them all if that happens… and I wouldn't be able to finish my mission at all."

After hiding the bag, the boss of the Stalker Desert Party finally decided to sleep. With the preparations for the next day done, Red crept slowly under the sheets.

"You only think you're ready." A voice whispered in Red's thoughts.

"I don't want to be hasty, Grey. I never wanted to. That's the difference between us. Always remember that." Red answered back.

With a heavy sigh, Red closed his eyes and slept.


	2. Chapter 1

**Psychographics**

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Sinkhole

During the outbreak of the Great War between Morroc and the Kingdom of Prontera, an elite division of Stalkers from Morroc was sent to the kingdom as spies. Their task was simple and linear. In the guise of normal citizens, they must be able to infiltrate and sabotage the enemy's defense by using anything and anyone as simply collateral, even the lives of their comrades. Everything was to be done for the sake of the mission's success.

Failure was an option only available to the enemy.

To avoid the risk of being discovered early on, the leaders of Morroc took it into consideration that only a single division of Stalkers were to be sent. The division itself will be composed of seven members, each carefully handpicked by the council of the Rogue Guild. Everyone was supposedly legible to be part of the said division, but the council had their own criteria in choosing any of the possible members. These criteria, however, were never explained even to the division members themselves. No one among the council dared to break their vow of silence to the leaders of Morroc.

The council was to recruit the best they could find amongst their ranks, naturally. However, it is but a guise for a far larger plan.

The recruits are just told two simple rules once they were selected for the mission. First, was the same vow of silence that they must hold no matter what the cost, and second, was the Other Vow.

The Other Vow was far more complex than the simple rule of silence. It required much pain for a Stalker to exact the Other Vow, that only a select few will be able to learn it in every generation. The existence of the Other Vow was to be passed only to the best of the current generation of Stalkers, and its existence was never discussed and remained unwritten throughout the history of the council.

If none of the current Stalkers possessed the criteria for the current generation, this matter was immediately consulted to the Lords of Morroc. The Lords will have to intervene with one of the current generation's Stalkers, in order to "mark" him/her with the criteria, so the unwritten Other Vow will never be lost.

The Great War was taking its toll rapidly amongst the citizens of both Kingdoms. Prontera, a powerful city-state, has now formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Payon since it was the first city to be put under siege by the Lords of Morroc. Destruction was a common sight in both territories, and bloodshed was an everyday occurrence.

It was but a petty quarrel among resources. The soldiers of both states, however, will never know the true agenda behind the Great War. They were but pawns to the leaders of both sides.

_-Excerpt from the Annals of Odin, located at the Divine Library of Asgard._

**Sograt Desert, 10 kilometers from Prontera, the Capital of Schwartzwelt. **

Rumors of the assassination of the Elite Guards of Payon spread like wildfire among the ranks of soldiers on both territories. The Lords of Morroc seemed pleased with the current progress of the war, and the odds of the current situation was tilting towards their advantage. Something must be done to follow it up, in order to raise the morale of the soldiers in the battlefield.

The rumors did reach a certain group of Stalkers in the middle of the Sograt Desert, in a makeshift camp on midday. While their purpose was simply described as a "distraction" according to their leader, it was a "glorious effort" in the grander scale of things according to the members of the Rogue Council.

- "Hey! Have you heard the news? The Elite Guards of Payon were murdered two nights ago!" panted one Stalker, who was running from the other side of the camp. He was obviously tired from running, but looked really tired from doing something else.

- "R-really? Where did you get that from?" said another Stalker in blatant disbelief, as his face immediately lost its color.

- "It must be from one of those "Midnight Delivery" services you've been getting from the Priestesses isn't it?" told another Stalker, who was lying near the campfire and creating the midday meal.

- "Did you get any details except from the killing itself?" inquired another Stalker, who was reading a looted textbook… in reverse.

- "Well, according to the Midnight Messenger, the guards were attacked one by one, while in their quarters before daybreak. The conclusion drawn by the investigators of the crime scene was that it was done by a single individual, since there was no sign of a struggle in their rooms as well as no other injuries present in the victims' bodies except for a single slit in their throat. There was no sign of forced entry as well." relayed the panting Stalker, who was now terribly thirsty aside from the other fact that he looked tired from doing "chores".

"That could be one of our friends from the Assassin's Guild." another Stalker butted in. He had long, red, and slightly wavy locks that reached his shoulders and his eyes were of a shade of blue. His attire was entirely different of the crew, instinctively indicating that he was the "leader" of this unusual pack. Even though he decided to butt in, no one seemed to take offense at all. The other Stalkers who were busy chatting about the Payon Murders were now visibly more alert than usual.

- "Do you think so, Sir?" asked the Stalker who was still busy cooking the meal. "It could be someone else for all we know."

- "H-hey! Are you doubting what our leader just said?" asserted the distressed Stalker whose face was still colorless.

- "No, I'm not. Calm down, will you?"

- "Then what are you…"

- "Just calm down! Sheesh!..."

"Everyone… will you please settle down for a moment?" the leader of the pack calmly asked his subordinates. "Now, if we want to talk about this subject, then we must be open for the interpretations of others. Am I understood?"

- "Yes. Sir." Answered the pack in unison.

"Sound off! I want to check if everyone's around! Being asleep is not an excuse!"

"Aicker!" replied the previously panting Stalker, his sweat now visible on his pants loins.

"Endzeit!" replied the one who was still cooking, but looks almost done with the job.

"Mhart!" replied the "colorless" Stalker, his face now flustered.

"Athet!" replied the bookworm, tossing his reverse textbook before standing and picking up…

"…Gin!" replied the other Stalker who doesn't like speaking at all… unless the leader told her to. The fact that she didn't join the conversation previously was enough for her comrades to deduce what her personality was like.

"… that's odd." The leader mentioned. "Where the heck is Seventh? Speak up, men! Where in Midgard is Seventh?"

"Probably sleeping in Asgard." A voice came from behind him.

As the leader turned slowly, the source of the voice immediately feigned towards the leader's blind spot in order to avoid his gaze. This was his way of saying "Hi."

"You freaking bastard!" yelled the leader at the late party member. "Where have you been? Get in line, Seventh!"

"Yes, Sir!~" Seventh teasingly answered.

In the eyes of Seventh's comrades, he was just a stupid jerk whose name was never revealed by their superiors. The only one that knows his real name in the entire pack was Gin. But of course, Gin wouldn't tell anyone unless the leader asks her to. So it is safe to assume that the leader either knows Seventh's real name or not.

For the leader, however, Seventh was just this stupid guy's nickname. He didn't care much about real names and clichés that would typically arise in a company of people like these. He had to cope up with them… in the kindest way possible. After all, their lives were in his hands. Literally.

"Sound off, you freaking idiot!" ordered the leader to his teasing subordinate.

"S-Seventh!~" he answered back, still rubbing the teasing part in.

"That would suffice." The leader sighed in relief. At least his men (and a single woman) was lined up and ready to discuss their thoughts on the recent news. It seemed to him that Seventh was listening to the conversation all along, and just playing dumb to not get in line on time. Only one thing was left to do, and that was to call out his name, not as a sign of leadership among them, but a sign of equality.

"Red!" the leader called out his name. It was short and simple. But his name was music to the ears of his subordinates. It was the one name they would recognize anywhere. Though they would always wonder why he mentions his own name even if he is automatically exempted from the roll call.

"Why do you always do that, Sir?" asked Seventh.

"You mean… my name?" Red answered towards his inquiring subordinate.

"Hai. I mean.. Yes. Your name. You're our leader. You're not included in the personnel's roll call."

"To answer that…" Red heaved a sigh and continued "… I must tell you that even I, your "leader", am subject to my own orders."

"We are all equal. Listen to me. We are brothers and sisters in this pack. No one will ever take what we have shared in this war together. I repeat. No one at all. Ever." added Red with sincerity resonating from his statements. The faces of the men surrounding Red grew stern, yet focused. Even Seventh stopped from horsing around and paid attention to the words of his Division Leader.

"This was the man that they were ordered to follow." Seventh thought. A smile grew on his face, but he suppressed it until Red strode and turned around the platoon.

"Stop smiling, Seventh! You look like an idiot around you're comrades, do you know that?" mentioned the Division Leader, obviously embarrassing his subordinate due to his "insubordination".

"H-hey! That's not fair! Do you have eyes behind your back? How did you know I was smiling?" Seventh protested in embarrassment, his comrades holding their laughter while their leader was busy looking at the desert's horizon.

"I was just guessing, Seventh." the leader revealed. "You're so predictable."

Seconds later, the smell of burnt meat wafted across the air, sending the entire platoon in frenzy. Hungrier than Desert Wolves, the entire platoon jumped in on the burnt meat and feasted. Food was not that decent when one was in the middle of the desert after all.

Red watched his men talk with their mouths full. He obviously wouldn't scold them for that natural behavior.

"You're not going to eat, Sir?" Gin, the quiet one, inquired.

"I'm still full." Red replied immediately.

"But… you haven't ate at all since yesterday."

"Don't… worry about me. I'm… quite alrigh-"

"Sir?"

In a short flash, Red's vision grew dim, and his senses became numb. He could still balance himself from the initial shock, but his knees finally gave way. Landing on the arms of Gin, he immediately grasped her shoulders in order to stand. It was a good thing nobody saw what just happened to him. He didn't want to worry his men.

"Are… are you all right, Sir?" Gin asked in worry.

"Gin… never tell this to anyone, ok?" the leader requested.

"…Yes, Sir. As you wish."

"…Good. You may… return now. I'll be fine. I'll eat later."

With a sincere bow, Gin left Red alone. A few minutes later, a thick crimson liquid was covering Red's palms. His back arched forward in agony, and his shoulder blades convoluting as if they were going to break. He coughed and coughed as silent as possible, so that his men wouldn't notice. Blood was still trickling through his fingers and made inaudible sounds as the drops of blood made their way to the burning sand below.

Still grasping for air, the Division Leader of the Stalker's Desert Party walked towards his quarters and rested. He was looking for something.

That something was very important. He had always had it with him. Ever since that day…

After getting a wet towel, Red rinsed his mouth of the blood that he coughed out earlier. He was suffering, and he didn't want to trouble his subordinates at all. "It would ruin their morale" he thought.

"This is nothing. My life is worthless compared to the staggering implications of this mission's success. The mission is my primary priority. The moment I finish it, I can die in peace."

With another gasp for air, Red dropped into unconsciousness, making a loud thud as his body smashed into the jars inside his quarters.

**Payon Forest, 23km from Sograt Desert, 5km from the Kingdom of Payon**

The sound of fig tree leaves crushed under the wheels of a cart was echoing within the depths of Payon Forest.

The female who was dragging the cart was breathing heavily, her voice filled with scorn. Her once beautiful arms were now covered with scars, and her ankles bleeding from stepping on Hunter Traps.

The female was now in agony after her cart's left wheel broke as it hit a giant tree root, and she falling over as a result.

"Damn… so much for the cart fee." She said spitefully. "If I weren't so careless… this wouldn't have happened." and with another sigh, she opened her bag and took out some spare tools.

Creaking sounds were now echoing in this part of the forest, and the birds fluttered around the treetops, obviously disturbed by this alien noise.

"…Buzzards. All they do is make noises to annoy you." She continued to mumble while repairing the cart's wheel.

"…Hmpf… annoying." the word seemed to have struck a cord. If anything was annoying in this world, it had to be him. "That guy… he didn't even say anything! What's up with him? Argh!" she continued on grumbling while making the final repairs on the cart.

Clank!

With another sigh, this time of relief, the female packed her tools and then retrieved some bandages to dress her wounds. "So much for being flawless… that annoying guy would laugh so hard if he sees me like this."

"Damn it, he's such a jerk!" she screamed, but the grunt of a nearby Bigfoot drowned her scream. "Get off, squirt!" she yelled at the grunting bear with dark brown fur. As if the creature understood her, it turned and left.

"I should rest, right? Hyatt? You and Malchuz always say that…" she whispered to herself.

Those two were his closest male friends. There was another one though… but recently, things got fucked up. Hard.

The "jerk" that she kept on grumbling about was now traveling through the Sograt Desert, together with a bunch of weirdoes.

"Damn! He has to pay! Pay! Pay! Pay! Arrrrrgghhhhh!" she screamed another mouthful.

She was about to scream again when she heard the sound of crumpling leaves behind her. She didn't move. She continued to listen. "… those… are not Bigfoots…" she thought. "…more like… human." The sound they made was distinctive. The sound of fluttering cloth can now be heard within the proximity of the area.

Then it came towards her direction. She was about to leave when the source of the disruption made a sound.

"Cornelia! Cornelia! Hey! Cornelia! Are you here? Answer me!" cried the voice coming towards her.

"Oh… that sounds… pretty much familiar." She told herself. She would recognize that voice even from a mile away. Cornelia immediately turned towards the source of the voice to greet his friend.

"Malchuz!"

"Co-Cornelia? So you were alive! I heard the news! Damn… I really thought you were dead!" Malchuz said in concern, his face terribly sweating.

"Come on, Malchuz… I wouldn't die that easily."

"…But, they said that all the Elite Guards of Payon were murdered! I was worried, damn it!"

"You worried? That's too far Malchuz, I can live on my own without your help." She told to her friend. "… unless I really need your help, that is." She continued.

"…Ha ha… you're still the same. Thank the gods that I was just near the settlement in Alberta. The news came in fast. I had to hurry to find you."

"… You're not hitting on me are you?" Cornelia glared.

"… Nope. Why would I? I'm engaged… duh?"

"Since when? You? The slowest member of our party when it comes to women, is engaged?"

"Well… things happened." Malchuz excused.

"Hmm… no matter. But, still… thanks for the "worrying" part. I really need help right now… even though I can do it alone. It just sucks to walk with these wounds. They wouldn't heal properly if the leaves keep gashing them."

"…Same old flawless—"

Malchuz was cut short from finishing his "compliment" as a punch came towards his nose. Fast.

"… Damn it… Corn… You broke my meh bloody nose…"

"Don't worry. You look great that way. On the bright side, you can use that nose of yours to get "services" from the girl you're engaged with."

"Hey… that's foul. Only jealous girls would do that—"

Another punch reached Malchuz... this time on the lower ribcage.

"Oof… so much for body-building." he replied in agony.

"Come on, I know you're not that weak… and besides, why would I be jealous? I already have H—"

"…Yeah, yeah… whatever. You know, being a High Wizard like me can be very difficult. It takes a lifetime to gain knowledge of the elements… but…"

"But life is so short."

"Yeah… so short that it is but a blink in the eyes of the gods."

"… That's why there's a library, you idiot."

"… Hai. Err… yes. That explains it. Come on, we need to go. If you can't walk, then I'll carry you."

"I can manage. But my… my cart won't."

"W-wait… what? You don't mean…"

"Yes. Do it you idiot."

"Sigh… same old Cornelia." Malchuz tried to complain. But that wouldn't do anything at all. With his minimal strength focused in his hands… his beautiful hands… "Damn… I hate manual labor…"

"Do it. Fast. On the double!"

"Sure… sure… I'm doing it." Malchuz continued to mumble. Even though it was weird for a High Wizard to carry a cart, it didn't stop him from doing so.

"How's the weight?" Cornelia inquired his friend.

"It's quite heavy… I might say. No wonder your body is still se—"

"Tell that to your girl, you pervert!"

"Sigh… what's inside this thing? And why is it hot?" Malchuz asked about the sheer weight and temperature of the cart he was now carrying on his shoulders. Its wheels were ok… but somehow, Cornelia managed to order him to carry it instead of dragging it.

"Ancient Material. I just found it in a basement in Payon." Cornelia snapped back.

"Was it round?" Malchuz continued to ask.

"Yes…"

"Was it plump?"

"….Yes."

"Was it… soft?"

"….Hmm…. Yes. H-hey! Just watch where you're looking at!"

"…I can't help it. At least wear some clothes, will ya."

"I AM wearing clothes. You freaking pervert!"

"…R-right…Sorry." Malchuz sighed. "Where are we heading then?" he asked his friend.

"We're taking this Ancient Material to Prontera." Cornelia replied.

"P-Prontera? But that's the other way!"

"Shut up. I know a lot of shortcuts."

"…And if we get lost?"

"…that will never happen."

The duo continued to walk towards Prontera… aware of the danger ahead.

**Prontera Garrison, 15km from Sograt Desert**

"Commander Hyatt!" said a soldier in an alarmed voice.

"Yes, soldier?" the thinly built man asked. He had short, light brown hair, common to the natives of Payon, but something in his personality made him stand out. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a commander of an elite squad of Rune Knights and Royal Guards.

"Our scouts found a reconnaissance team in the border of Sograt Desert!" the soldier continued to explain. His voice shaking.

"I see… but it could be a decoy… or a trap for us." He answered. "Calm down, soldier… what is it that makes you tremble like that?" he inquired further.

"S-Sir… The scouts have confirmed that HE is with the Desert Team!"

"…You don't mean… HIM. Don't you?"

"It's HIM Sir. There's no mistaking it. Our scouts confirmed the presence of the Criteria within the surrounding area."

"Send the backup force on the west side of Prontera Castle. The other squads should flank the walls. Ask the citizens to leave their homes and evacuate at the settlement near Mt. Mjolnir. Also… free my Warg from its cage. Be careful, though."

"Understood, Sir. I'll relay the orders now"

"Thank you, soldier."

As the soldier turned and left, the thinly built man continued to wonder. Moments later, as if his thoughts were confirmed, he began to wear his best battle armor. It was light as a feather, compared to the heavy armor of the Knights of the Kingdom. He preferred lighter equipment though… and then there was another thing that he wouldn't forget.

"Hmm… I hope you're doing fine, Rudra. He's coming this way. The man marked with the Criteria. He may… steal you from me." Hyatt told his trusty bow.

"… if it's really him… then I know what to expect." He told himself.

"… Red, wasn't it? It's been a while."

"Red Viele'au Sylenfeit… or should I say…"

Hyatt stopped midway to give in to a maniacal laugh. He was extremely excited.


	3. Chapter 2

**Psychographics**

Chapter 2: The Perfect Recipe for a Disaster

The Divider was once the most unrelenting force in Midgard two centuries ago.

It was named as such due to the fact that it can slice the hardest material in Midgard, the Promeon. Those who saw it in the streets in broad daylight described it as a creature with glowing red eyes, and a red mane. Its body was entirely black, and it kept murmuring to itself as if it was chanting a dark prayer. It wasn't aggressive at all, and it wouldn't attack people. The citizens felt that the creature, despite its appearance, wouldn't hurt them at all. Even the local guards weren't alarmed at its presence. It was about the size of a middle-aged Baphomet, but unlike it, The Divider doesn't attack at all.

What made The Divider an unrelenting force was the fault of Scholars who wanted to study it in a laboratory. Naturally, this creature did not want to be kept in a cage. In a desperate attempt to take the Divider into custody, the Scholars used a binding spell to subdue it and bend its will. The plan backfired, terrifically, according to the local witnesses of the period.

Furious of the attack made on him (assuming that The Divider is a male), the creature retaliated with tremendous force and broke the spell before it was permanently completed. The only side-effect the spell had on him was that he was shrunk to the size of a normal human, which in the case of the Scholars, was a very suitable size for a specimen… and remained that way permanently. The binding effect didn't make it through, thus allowing The Divider to escape and kill the casters in a single swipe of its claws.

Horrified by the sight of the now spell-enraged monster, the locals decided to run for their lives. But it was too late. Killing anyone in sight, The Divider then leveled the town and crumbled the area into a desert, its current location is now part of the Upper Sograt Desert marked with holes were a race of giant ants live.

The Divider came to be known as "The Holiday Monster" and the day was known in history as simply, "The Holiday Massacre". The Holiday Monster then vanished from this world. It was presumed that the gods intervened and killed the beast before it caused more destruction.

_-Excerpt from the Urban Legends of Midgard for Beginners_

**Sograt Desert Border, 3km from Prontera, 700m from Payon Forest**

"Seriously, boss… what happened back there?" inquired Aicker to the fatigued boss of the Desert Party. They were walking for five hours already after that incident at the camp.

"We were like… and then…" Athet added. "You don't just collapse like THAT, Sir." He continued.

Obviously worried were the rest of the crew… especially Seventh, who was not talking at all. Then it snapped at him. "The meeting…"

"…Hey! Boss!" Seventh shouted, startling the rest, even Gin, who normally wouldn't react even if the jerk did something stupid right in front of her.

"He's all I have left…" were the thoughts that surged through Gin's mind. She remained quiet since the start of their journey from Morroc.

"...Yes, Seventh? What's the matter?" the leader asked his overeager subordinate.

"You, Sir… are the matter!" Seventh finally said. The rest of the team fell silent. Nobody dared to talk to the boss like that. No one from the guild could. Seventh could have just broke a taboo if he was lucky. "H-hey… that's too much, Seventh." Mhart butted in. "The boss is extremely tired. This is a difficult mission, after all."

"I know that, Mhart… but it still is disturbing." Seventh went on. "I thought you were going to be transparent when it comes to personal things? What's up with that? Were all our conversations before just a facade? Are you hiding something from us? Damn it, Sir! You're not the usual guy we know!"

"Seventh, shut—" Endzeit tried to stop him midway.

The leader of the Stalker Desert Party stopped walking and slowly turned around to face his crew. Seventh was expecting a punishment worse than death for what he had just done. But a second had passed without anything happening. The leader went towards the crew and stopped short near Gin.

"…Please get my backpack, Gin." Red ordered the lone female subordinate. There was coldness in his voice as he issued the command, but Gin followed it nonetheless without a sign of hesitation.

"Here it is… Sir." Gin reported back. She was carrying a small backpack made of wolf skin, and stitched elegantly with a silver thread.

"Thank you… Now listen to me. All of you." Red commanded. "The moment you see the contents of this bag, consider the mission finished. Run for your lives as fast as you can, for I cannot guarantee your safety." He said further.

"Sir? Just what is happening here?" Seventh asked in confusion.

"My friends… no my second family… please do not hate me for what I am about to do. You may continue the mission if you want, but I also hold the power to set you free. I can finish this mission alone. I am now giving you a choice. You may leave immediately after you see what's inside this bag." Red explained the matter in a calm and deep voice. His subordinates were taking small steps away from him, but no one dared to run away. Gin remained at a short distance from the leader. She wasn't given another order yet. After a long moment of silence, Seventh decided to break it again.

"If you hold a terrible secret, then we can keep it. Right guys?" Seventh tried to cheer the other men up. The atmosphere was so terrible; he couldn't bear it any longer. "Just show it to us, and we will never tell anyone. We have our vows of silence, after all. We want to finish this mission together." he continued to bargain.

"Are you afraid of dying alone?" Red snapped back.

"That's not what I meant, Sir. You just said that we are a family, but you are now forcing us to leave you… just because of a freaking content in a bag!"

"… The contents of this bag will cost you your life… as well as mine. That is why I want all of you to leave me after seeing this. This material is too dangerous. I'm requesting you to do this because…"

"…Sir, please… thi—"

"…I love you."

The crew felt shivers travel down their spines. Questions upon questions surged through the entire crew's minds. What was their leader talking about? What was this dangerous material? Why would they die if they don't leave? And more importantly… who really is their leader? Or what is he?

"I love all of you. That's why I want you all to be safe and free. You may choose to continue the mission together, but I'll leave the party immediately." Red told the crew in conclusion.

"If that's what you want, then we promise to never talk about it to anyone. Your secret's safe with us, Sir." Seventh assured the leader. "We will leave immediately and continue the mission just as we are commanded by the Rogue Council."

"Very well, Seventh…" Red placed his hands on his subordinate's shoulders. "His hands are cold…" Seventh thought.

"…You shall lead them… all of them, in my absence. Am I understood everyone?"

"Yes, Sir!" the party answered in unison. But in reality, nobody really understood what is happening right now.

Then Red reached for his the contents of his bag, and withdrew…

"… I see… so that's why. We understand completely, Sir. We will be leaving now." Seventh answered after marveling at the revealed contents of the bag. "We thank you for the hard work, Sir. We are honored to have been under your command."

With a quick stride, Seventh and the others left their previous leader for good. They left as fast as they can, and never looked back. In their haste, they forgot to take another member with them… but they couldn't return anymore after seeing the contents of the bag.

"What is that thing… exactly?" the question circled in the crew's minds as they traveled towards the west side of the Upper Sograt Desert. Prontera's west side was now visible, but intensely guarded. They had to break through the defenses as quick as possible. This was the priority as of now… and the remaining members continued to quicken their steps towards the west gates.

Meanwhile, the sole remaining member of the original Desert Party was talking to the alienated leader, who was still staring at the horizon after his "family" had left him in accordance to his orders.

"Red… is this really… what you wanted?" Gin asked… as if to elicit a response from the leader she had grown to love ever since they were young. "Do you really… want to end it like this?"

"I'm terribly sorry, Gin. I'm really sorry." Red apologized, his voice cracking at every word. His face was now indicative of torment… his eyes were dull, and the light of the sun at dusk weren't blinding him at all.

Gin walked towards Red slowly… then hastily. It was her last chance, she thought. In the very instant she arrived near Red's location, he turned around… his eyes swollen with tears.

"I know, Red… I know it hurts. But you must bear it. The Other Vow must be fulfilled at the cost of your soul." Gin consoled her leader… no… her lover.

"I thank you for everything, Gin. You have always been there for me ever since we were kids. I'm really sorry all of you had to go through this." Red couldn't find the words to say to his beloved. His voice was slowly being eaten by the tears that flowed down his cheeks.

"… I hate excuses, my darling." Gin told him. "You have always known that."

"Yes… I'm sorry. Really."

"Once the mission is finished, shall we meet again?"

"I wish we could… but I'll probably be in Asgard by that time. Will you look for me there? It's going to be lonely up there."

"Of course I will… You're an idiot you know… yet I…"

"Hmm?"

"I love you… with all I have and ever will."

There was an eerie silence between the lovers. The claws of separation were now slowly tearing the flesh in both of their hearts. Locked in an eternal embrace, Red continued to bargain the fate he was sealed in… but he couldn't do anything about it. His fate was now in the hands of the gods… or rather… the demons that reside within the depths of the Great Castle of Morroc.

"You should leave now, Gin… while I'm still human." Red told her, trying to ease her despair with minimal success.

"I just told you that I love you, you idiot… Why don't you answer me before I do leave you?" Gin complained in pain, her voice muffled under the fabric separating her face and his lover's chest. It was now wet with her tears, also hoping to bargain the situation.

"Oh… right. Sorry." Red said in excuse.

"Do it slowly. Slow enough that I can play it in my head over and over. Slow enough that it eats my soul at its core. I want you to take me, Red. I have nothing left to give you except…" Gin stopped as Red reached for her swollen stomach.

"Take care of him too…" Red answered, smiling.

"I will… but I don't even know if it's a male. What should I name him?"

"Redschtly."

"Isn't that a bit difficult to pronounce and spell?"

"It still has "Red" on it."

"Oh…"

Red decided to cut their final conversation. It has now come to this, after all.

"I love you too, Gin. Take care and be happy. I'll be with you forever."

"This isn't goodbye, Red… we'll see each other again, wherever it may be."

As their lips met, Gin felt her feelings for this man melt towards eternity. She had given him everything a man could have wanted, and he was happy and satisfied. It was such a pain to have it end like this. The feeling of his tongue inside her mouth was still breathtaking, as if every time she did it was her first. She moaned instinctively, holding her lover close while stroking his red locks with her soft palms. Red was such a great kisser, and she knew that ever since his first attempt during their early days. But he was a total gentleman overall.

Gin yearned for Red more and more, as she felt him going within her, her cries muffled by tears of joy. This was her last time with him, but it felt so great. She felt her body melt under the heat of his love, and she had always gave in to anything, as long as Red requested it. She loved him way too much… too much that it hurts.

After being overcome by ecstasy, Gin finally kissed Red again before taking her leave. She wouldn't be able to see him anymore… at least in the mortal plane.

Left alone in the border of the Sograt Desert, Red went on his way towards Prontera Castle, where a long lost comrade awaits.

"This is your entire fault, Grey. This is your entire fault."

Prontera's East Gate was now visible from the hills that he managed to climb. The castle was just a few more kilometers ahead. Finishing his preparations, Red made his way towards the gates, disguised as a normal adventurer. His back was beginning to itch, as if hair was growing rapidly behind his back. His eyes begin to hurt. The last time he looked at it, it has changed to a hue of crimson, similar to his hair color. Dismissing it as an eye disease, he just let it stay that way.

Dark patches begin to appear in his left arm. "Must be an allergy." He thought. "Or was this how the Criteria worked?" he had only felt it's sting once, during the times his memory was blurry after being reported as "missing" from the guild.

Red continued towards the gates, hoping to end this war with the best of his abilities. The Lords of Morroc ordered him to, and he must follow their orders "for the greater good."

**Payon Forest Border, 5km from the East Gate of the Kingdom of Prontera**

Having finally reached the border of Payon and Morroc, Cornelia and Malchuz decided to call it a break. The sun shone dimly as it was nearing to set. The forest wasn't forgiving at night, with all the animals out to get some snacks of whatever kind.

"Let's camp out here tonight, Malchuz…" Cornelia suggested to the High Wizard who was now exhausted of carrying Cornelia's cart on his shoulders… for 18 kilometers. "And don't try anything funny. I'll break your beautiful hands if you manage to do so.

"Well, that's scary…" Malchuz replied to the Master Smith who had just broken his nose and ribcage hours ago as a joke. "Even scarier than… our previous encounter with Eddga earlier.

"… and Atroce, you idiot." Cornelia snapped back. "It's your fault for getting the latter out, though.

"It was an accident… obviously." The High Wizard sighed, putting the cart down and relaxing himself. "… As if I really wanted THAT."

"Yeah right… everything that has happened in your life is an "accident"."

"It figures… yeah."

"Think about it you moron! Everything you had experienced in this life is an accident! You touch someone's ass by "accident", you stare at my breasts by "accident", you grope the village girls in Geffen by "accident", and now you have been engaged to a girl I don't even know by "accident"! What's up with that? Huh?"

"Now, now… you're just overreacting…"

"I certainly am NOT!"

"What then? My hands were never meant for manual labor. My hands were meant to hold delicate and soft things… like spell books and parchment. It just so happened that my hands love soft things that it seems like a magnet… or a black hole…"

"You…"

"… It also happened that breasts and asses are soft as well!"

"Fuck your logic, Malchuz! Fuck your logic! And you can say things like that with a straight face! How could you?"

"Well, I have read from my "textbooks" that most women love being groped. They just don't want to break their ego that easily. They're just not honest."

"You and your lousy excuses… You… You just admitted that you're a freaking pervert! Ugh. It's a good thing I chose Hyatt over you. You give me the creeps."

"Hey, that's foul, Ms. Master Smith… that hurts! And now you're comparing to your hotshot boyfriend who loves Wargs more than people? Don't make me laugh miss!"

"Wait… what? Hyatt's not like that! He's not like you!"

"Come on… you do like to be stared at and groped don't you? Deep inside you, there is this feeling that urges you always. There is that voice that moans every time you get to catch someone who is looking at your assets."

"You take that back, you idiot! Argghhh, I'm going to kill you, you sick pervert!"

"Haha! Hyatt is such a lucky guy… he can have you all by himself… You and your softness… it makes me really jea—oof!" a punch met Malchuz's already damaged ribs.

"Shut up!"

"Wha-what?"

"Shut up! Something's coming this way! Hide!" Cornelia whispered to Malchuz's ear.

It was too late. As dozens of Ferus and Gryphons arrived at the duo's location, a lone Arch Bishop came down from the swarm towards them and called out to the female whose knuckles were resting at the High Wizard's ribcage. The High Wizard was obviously in pain, but the wide grin he had in his face cannot be translated into any word.

The Arch Bishop who was wearing a mask had short, jet black hair, combed extensively and neatly. His voice was dominant, yet calming. He was carrying a piece of parchment that bore the emblem of the division under Hyatt's command.

"Ms. Cornelia? Correct?" inquired the Arch Bishop.

"And… who might you be? Kind Sir? What brings you to this deserted place?" Cornelia answered back in courtesy.

"Now, now, no need for formalities. Don't you recognize me?"

"Hmm…Wait… you can't be? That voice… and that… hair… ugh." Cornelia staggered.

"None other than Onnie, Cornelia."

"Yeah! Onnie! It's been a while!"

"We can talk later, missy. I have serious business to attend to, and you are included in these serious matters as well." handing her the letter.

"This message… is from Hyatt?"

The Arch Bishop nodded in response, and then proceeded to comb his hair. "Just read it. The commander told me that it's very urgent."

"What on Midgard would—" Cornelia stopped short as she pried the letter open. She felt something bad. Female intuition, that is. It was unsettling to say the least, but she shoved the feeling off. She was waiting for Hyatt, after all. Finally…

As the swarm of Ferus and Gryphons made their formations and preparations before leaving, Cornelia read the letter with unparalleled attention. She proceeded to keep the letter in her pocket after finishing it.

"Your commander wants me… to come with you?" Cornelia inquired to the Arch Bishop, who was giving orders to the Knights. "Does that mean that I get to meet Hyatt this time?"

"Well, depending on the circumstances, that could happen. Anyway, he really wants to see you right now, so I can see that happening." Onnie assured her. "Just consider this… a formal free ride home."

"Thanks! Did you hear that Malchuz? We're going to get a free ride home!" the smith called out to her friend.

"Oh… really? Then that's great! I'll just pack these things and—"

"Hold it, sir… the letter specifically indicates that only Ms. Cornelia will join us on our way back." Onnie explained to the overeager High Wizard.

"Wait! He's with me!" Cornelia asserted. "Please allow him to go with us. I'll take responsibility for his actions!"

"Really, Cornelia… honestly, I am not so trustful of the members of the Freyan Church. Who knows what these guys will do to you if that letter turns out to be a fake? Huh? These guys may just skin you alive or worse…" Malchuz protested.

"Or worse, what? Rape me? That's a load of bull. They're my trusty comrades since history, you idiot." Cornelia assured Malchuz, patting him on the head.

"No… really. I have no trust in these guys… especially that guy you call Onnie—" Malchuz continued complaining.

"… That doesn't matter, Mr. High Wizard. I only care about Ms. Cornelia's safety… and besides as Arch Bishops, our souls know no sin, and our clothes know no stain." The Arch Bishop butted in, embarrassing Malchuz.

Cornelia's laughter was golden. Malchuz could have sworn that it made him… well… it's a guy thing.

"Whatever. Just don't go near MY Cornelia. You got that, gramps?" ordered Malchuz. Seconds later, a metallic object hit his head hard. "Damn… I forgot the cart…"

**The Kingdom of Payon, Commoner's Marketplace, 25km from the Sograt Border**

"What can you say about the recent murders of our Elite Guards, Cath?" questioned the young noble to his fiancée. He had long auburn hair, and wore an attire suited only for nobility of his rank.

"Well… aside from the fact that it's gruesome, nothing else." The young girl in her twenties replied. She was wearing glasses, commonly interpreted as a sign of intelligence by most people, and it shows. Being the fiancée of a noble required a high degree of intelligence and sophistication. "I have my doubts, though." She continued.

"Very perceptive, my dear Cath… and what might your doubts be?" the young male goaded her on. "I wish to hear more of your deductions from this case."

"I am not a clockwork doll, my darling Kennedy…" she answered back immediately. "But if you wish to know, then…"

"It's him, isn't it? The Blur?"

"There's no other suspect I have in mind… the skill used to kill the Elite Guards surpasses human capabilities. It can only be done by The Blur.

"Isn't The Blur the same as The Divider?"

"No, you got it wrong, darling… The Blur attacks with pinpoint precision. The Divider is but an urban legend, but who knows? Besides, it attacks in wide areas and leaves destruction in its wake. It only knows basic killing instincts… but the Blur kills quietly and…" Cath stopped. "And… what?" Kennedy asked for more.

"… The Blur only attacks before daybreak. The Divider attacks no one unless provoked." The lass continued her deduction. "And how did you know that?" the noble lad asked again.

"It's basic research, my darling. I always make sure to do my research. Do you?"

"What else is there to research? I'd rather research you instead."

"Indeed you're so shallow." Cath sighed heavily.

"And you're way too deep." Kennedy snapped back immediately.

The couple left the Commoner's Marketplace, busily examining the area and then began to proceed to Payon Castle. The sun had disappeared in the horizon, signaling the end of the day. As they arrived on the Castle Gates, the Prince's royal butler greeted them immediately. "Welcome, Earl Dresden. Prince Kim Yin is waiting for you."


	4. Chapter 3

**Psychographics**

Chapter 3: Of Legends and Lore

**Mt. Mjolnir Settlement**, **14km from Prontera Castle, 25km from the Front Lines**

As the war waged on in the south gate of Prontera, things were a bit more peaceful on the northern gate. Most of the citizens have evacuated to this settlement, and remained there for about nine months after the outbreak of the war.

Soldiers scurry back and forth at the issued orders from the castle, relaying it to their immediate subordinates. Mt. Mjolnir's natural noise all but disappeared. Instead of hearing the buzzing of the swarm of Dustiness within the area, it was the buzzing of people's voices that made the place quite livable.

"What did the Midnight Messenger say, Sir?" questioned a local sentry to his General who was wearing the attire built only for Champions of the Kingdom.

"I'm surprised by your curiosity, soldier… but perhaps, I should still relay the information since it is public knowledge that the Midnight Messenger does exist." The General answered sternly. "So where shall I start? Hmm…"

The soldier quickly stiffened his body and paid with utmost attention at the signal of his General.

"You see, my faithful and eager soldier, the Midnight Messenger is named like that for a reason. It always delivers its messages instantly at Midnight, anywhere in Midgard. Heavens know how long it has been doing that job for the royalties and the commoners. Everyone who expects a message of doom is to be visited by the Midnight Messenger… and it is now considered as a simple serviceman for everyone.

"So it's benign, Sir?" inquired the soldier further.

"Apparently not. There was that time when the guards of a certain noble family vacationing in Izlude tried to attack the Midnight Messenger after it delivered the message of the death of one of their family members from the City of Aldebaran… and as it turned out, the Midnight Messenger's body was made of mist or some other material that allows things to go through it. It's really weird, I must say."

"Then no weapons can puncture it?"

"As far as our Scholars have researched there is but one kind of metal that can inflict injury on it, but that material has been lost since the time when The Divider walked Midgard's streets."

"The Divider? But that is just an urban legend right?"

"Things like that exist not because of the people's wild imagination. But because there are stories… real stories behind the myth."

"So I'll assume that it's real, Sir? But tha—"

"Believe in anything you want, soldier. But if a thing like The Divider ever appears again, I'll take it down with my own fists."

"Thank you for the conversation, Sir." The soldier bowed in courtesy.

"Please see to it that the northwest and northeast gates are heavily guarded." The General replied instantly. "Who knows? Those monkeys from Morroc might make their way around the castle. We can't allow that. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir! I'll relay the orders immediately." the soldier said, turning to leave.

Standing alone at the North Garrison, the General breathed in a dose of fresh air. It was almost the same in his training grounds in the Monk's Abbey. "Ah, I can feel the excitement of my palms… my body is burning with every second I waste in here. I'd rather be in the front lines and smacking those monkey's faces and skinning them alive. But… oh well…" he gave up with a sigh.

Another local sentry came into his location a few minutes afterward. He came bearing a message for the General. After receiving the message, his smile grew into a devilish grin. "Now THIS is what I want." He told himself. After a quick break, the General packed his equipment and headed south towards the Capital with his men.

"So the Commander Hyatt… what is it this time? A duel? Another routine? Or a promotion?" he thought as he traveled the path towards the great city. It was a good thing that Grand Pecos was abundant in the north, and was very easy to domesticate. Travel was much faster these days.

"General Kier! I can see a plume of smoke up ahead on the west gate!" the scout shouted alarmingly.

"Smoke? Could have those monkeys breached the gates? But that was impossible at the current state of the barricades…" he thought. "We'll get there immediately. Send messengers to Commander Hyatt informing our little excursion." he ordered his men.

As the reserve messengers ran towards the Castle, General Kier's units were prepared for the worst. The grin that covered the General's face was too inhuman to be described. "I smell blood. Tons of it is going to spill today." were the thoughts in his mind.

Meanwhile, atop the Church of Prontera, a misty figure sat still, as if watching the events happening below.

"Humans… are so fragile. And that's what makes them beautiful when broken."

He murmured.

Two ravens arrived in the misty figure's location, each perching on both of its shoulders. The ravens whispered something inaudible to the figure's ear, and it nodded twice in agreement. It then smiled as if fascinated, and proceeded to get something out of its pocket.

"Great job, Huginn… Muninn." He told the ravens. "You have done well.. eat something for now."

After a short pause, the misty figure atop the Church of Prontera disappeared.

**Prontera East Gate, 1.8km from Prontera Castle, 2.3km from Sograt Border**

"Please present your passes." ordered the sentry calmly to the incoming commoners from this side of the gates. The security was tight, as expected. The southeast hills have been blockaded with multiple checkpoints to minimize the possibility of a spy coming in. Everyone had verification passes that was only available to the citizens of Prontera. The previous leader of the Desert Party knew this, as well as his other comrades who left earlier on his final orders.

"I just hope that they'll make it inside on the west gate…" he thought to himself. "As long as Seventh leads them… well… Now I'm not so sure." He continued thinking until he was now face to face with the sentry.

"Your pass, Sir" requested the sentry politely.

"A moment please… err, anyway, can I ask you something first?" the "adventurer" answered back.

"Make it quick, Sir… there are others behind you who are still waiting."

"My… pass… you see, it's quite old. I have no idea if it's acceptable. I heard that the current Commander issued an order for renewal…"

"Oh, that… that's quite alright sir, those will still be effective despite the renewal. The commander was lenient enough to give the citizens three months to renew their passes. Yesterday was the allotted deadline, though."

"Well, you see… I kind of missed the deadline…"

"May I just check your pass, Sir?" the sentry replied in agitation.

"Here it is…" Red answered, changing his tone of voice comparable to a noble.

"B-but this is… a premium pass! Pardon me sir, but premium passes are exempted from the renewal as of now. Please, go ahead… please excuse us for the trouble."

"No worries, my good man, I shall report immediately to your general to give you a promotion because of your great service."

"P-promotion?"

Bewildered by the strange attitude of the Premium Traveler, the sentry continued to filter the incoming citizens from the east gate. Unbeknownst to him and the other sentries, they have just been smacked in their faces by one of the oldest tactics known to men when it comes to security. Theft.

"Such weak defenses…" Red, the Premium Traveler thought. "This wig and Premium card I had just stolen from earlier did the trick." he thought even further. Earlier, he had sacked a noble and dumped his body on the sea surrounding the border of Izlude and Prontera. He was just done disposing the body when a group of Ferus and Gryphons passed by. It carried a gorgeous, female Master Smith who looked extremely familiar to him, within the convoy of Rune Knights and Royal Guards. The Master Smith's apparent companion, a High Wizard, was gagged with a piece of fabric, yet still moving despite the shackles he was bound into.

They were carrying a huge package sealed inside the Master Smith's cart, which made him wonder what the contents of it were. "It could be pillaged loot, for all I know." Red thought further. "But that felt… really weird. There was a strange force that he felt within that baggage the platoon was carrying."

"That could be an artifact… but anyway, I must proceed with the mission." He whispered to himself. He now made his way towards the nearest tavern, in order to gather information and rest for the night. As his skin felt more irritated, he noticed the growing patch of black marks on his left arm. "It's just an allergy, Red… it's not diabetes." he assured himself.

**20 minutes earlier, the Eastern Hills of Prontera**

After fetching Cornelia and her "excess baggage" from the border of Sograt Desert, Onnie and his men departed for the castle of the Capital, riding their ferus and gryphons with breakneck speed. The convoy slowed down as they approached the eatern hills of Prontera. Ahead of them was a man dressed like a common adventurer, waving at them, as if signaling for help.

The convoy stopped to aid the commoner, asking him questions.

"Well, what happened, Sir?" questioned the Knights.

"Thank goodness! You have no idea how you saved my life out here."

"Out with it, Sir… we're in a hurry."

"No, please, listen to me, kind Knight…" the commoner went on. "Th-there's this creepy guy following me! I think he wants to kill me! Please! Take me with you!"

"What's the hold up?" questioned a female Master Smith at the back of the convoy. "If it's an emergency, we can help. Hyatt can wait…"

"We are under strict orders; my lady…" answered a neatly-combed and masked Arch Bishop. "We have no time for trivial matters."

"Then why stop in the first place? You're so stuck up at times, Onnie…" answered the Master Smith, who was now going down her mount to meet the commoner in distress. "The citizens are important."

"I know that, Cornelia… but still…" Onnie went on.

"Just let me handle this. Besides, if this guy is far from Malchuz's attitude, then I can easily handle him."

"By thy way… where is your friend, anyway?"

"He's at the back. I "silenced" him for the moment. I can't rest with his blabbering mouth going berserk."

"It must be a pain to have a guy like that with you."

"Not that I can handle. I always get what I want."

"Men should be like you, missy."

"Is that a compliment, or an insult?"

"Don't think about it missy. If anything goes wrong… call me immediately."

"Alright, Onnie. Can I borrow some of your men?"

"Sure. Just tell them that you are to be followed as well. You are our guest tonight, missy."

"Stop calling me, missy… it makes me sound weak."

"But only idiots would think of Cornelia, the Backbreaker, as a weakling.

"It would seem that way… anyway, I'll go ahead and meet this commoner."

As Cornelia drew closer with her company of soldiers to the commoner being interrogated by the Royal Guards, she noticed something weird in the commoner's features.

"Brown hair… but with tint of red? Is that even natural? Maybe it's tinted to be that way, but anyway…" she continued thinking and appraising the commoner, looking for anything suspicious.

"I tell you! That guy is following me! He's going to kill me! See these marks on my arm? He's been trying to burn me since the last time! Please, take me with you!" wailed the commoner, visibly in distress.

"That story can be invented by anyone, good Sir." The Master Smith intervened at the interrogation. "That mark on your arm could be easily dismissed as a birthmark."

"Then would you like to examine the difference?"

"Ugh… you're just like that stupid jerk I met before, and he didn't even pay his debt… You both talk as if you're the only believable person on earth."

"Well, that's clearly not the point of this conversation… I just wanted protection from that insane man who has been following me!"

"I'm sorry Sir, but I'm not in the mood to entertain guests… I'd rather be entertained myself." Cornelia sighed, turning around and leaving the commoner alone. The guards followed her shortly, leaving the commoner who was now silent as a goat while eating grass.

"Let's go. Commander Hyatt awaits." ordered the neatly-combed Arch Bishop.

A few minutes after the entire convoy left, the commoner who was left alone on the side street was now chuckling to himself. He reached for something in his pocket and examined the contents.

"Jackpot…" he murmured. Examining the details in the loot he had just gained, the commoner picked one that stood out within the pile of colored cards that he held in his hands.

"Premiums pass, huh? This will do the trick."

The commoner then fixed his wig and suit a bit, and headed towards the East Gates of Prontera. "Humans… have slow reaction times… my hands are indeed faster than their eyes." whispered the commoner on his way down the hills. "And now… time for another sucker…" he smiled more… then immediately frowned at the sight of the Castle's Rooftop.

**Morroc Castle Basement, 147km from Prontera Castle**

Amidst the darkness of the deepest basement in Morroc Castle, four flickering lights were visible. Each held by presences that cannot be described without the aid of light. The candles only reveal that they wore hooded robes, hiding their facial features. 

The four presences formed a circle within the basement, their feet stepping upon a seal that was left here millennia ago.

"This… is the seal of Satan Morroc, isn't it?" inquired one presence. Its voice was that of a male… but with this presence's robes, its gender is currently indistinguishable.

"It is… the original seal that Thanatos used when he fought the Great Demon" answered another presence, its voice audibly older than the previous one, yet sounded feminine.

"According to The Testament, the seal, once broken shall unleash hell's fury for all we know." added another presence, its voice echoing throughout the void. "While it is a fact that The Original Great Demon, Morroc, was really killed and sealed by Thanatos, the spirit of the Great Demon was able to puncture through…"

The fourth presence withheld to say anything, curiously looking at the cracks on the dimly lit floor.

"What is the matter? Lord Marcus?" questioned the presence with the masculine voice. "What is it that bothers you?" it pressed on.

"The spirit of Morroc… who bears The Criteria…" he slowly stated. "…is resealed in every generation among the strongest of body, mind, and spirit among our people. To be specific, anyone among the guild in Pharos Beacon can suffice… that is, we choose the best among them."

"I heard that they we're able to bypass the Sograt Border this afternoon." mentioned the presence with an echoing voice. "It's only a matter of time before they will be able to finish their assigned mission."

"Indeed, yes… time is of the essence for this war to end. We have wasted much of our resources. They our but a cheap option, but still…" added the presence with a feminine voice. "One of the current spies hold the Criteria, am I correct, Lord Marcus?"

"The bearer of the Criteria had been personally trained by me in the past. I know he can handle it perfectly."

The other three presences nodded in agreement. Having placed their candles on the floor, Lord Marcus made his candle sit on the very center of the seal. The melted wax soon covered the cracks of the seal, leaving only the burning wick flickering amidst the three other candles.

"I request the other Lords to leave me here for now. I wish to concentrate." said Lord Marcus, unveiling his hood.

"Take care, then, Lord Marcus. May Odin bless you." The three Lords answered in unison. "We shall leave you for now."

After the other Lords have left, Lord Marcus was now sitting in front of the candles. After killing the light of the three other candles, he proceeded to watch the last candle, his own, flicker… and eventually die out.

"I don't need the god's blessing… you idiots…" he whispered to himself.

The Lord's features were still indistinguishable at the total darkness of the Castle's Basement. After a while, he took a book that was tucked in his robes. He opened the book, and began to read… in total darkness.

"The Criteria… so delicate and fragile… is but a tool for me. I will bend it's will to follow my orders… and then…"

A sickly chuckle was heard within the confines of the basement, the only sign that there was anyone inside the dark cavern.

**OMAKE (BONUS)**

**7 hours ago, Payon Forest**

"Come on Cornelia, admit it…we're lost!" Malchuz screamed at his friend.

"Shut up, will you, Malchuz? I know the way!" Cornelia answered back.

"But we've been through this clearing about ten times already… and the Bigfoots around here are increasing as well…"

"Quiet! I know that! Now would you please… just shut up? I'm thinking!"

"Now that's something new! Cornelia? Thinking? Heavens know the world will end tomorrow!"

"Just carry that cart. I didn't tell you to talk."

"Ooh… scary."

Their bickering was disturbed by a grunting voice coming from behind. Looking back, the duo found a bear… a large bear with rough yellowish fur with brown stripes on its body. It was standing upright like most Bigfoots, but this one was entirely different. It held a smoking pipe in its hands and began to talk to them.

"You're both noisy; you have just disturbed my resting time… and no one… I repeat… no one disturbs an old bear while sleeping." the giant bear scowled.

"Oh shi—" Malchuz repeated while stepping back. "What the heck is Eddga doing here?"

"Of course we're still in Payon Forest, you idiot!" Cornelia scolded her friend. "Now get my equipment there and I'll finish this old geezer!"

"Ho ho… you're a tough cookie, aren't you, missy?" replied Eddga. "I could use you as a toothpick or an ingredient in my smoking pipe… Humans are quite a rare delicacy…"

"Let's see you try!" Cornelia challenged the giant smoking bear. Now holding her precious axe, Cornelia prepared to take a slice out of Eddga.

But before she could land a strike, Malchuz yelled behind her. Something else was standing in front of his friend… and it was holding a giant cleaver.

"Who in the— A-Atroce?" Cornelia exclaimed, but remained her composure. "What the heck did you do, Malchuz? WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I… I stepped on this blood-covered branch you see… and then… this happened." Malchuz explained pathetically while pointing at the summoned werewolf.

"Hey, Atroce… long time no see, my friend." Eddga called out to the summoned monster. "These two disturbed my sleeping time, and no on dares to do that… so I'm going to eat 'em. What do you say?"

"Beats me, Edd… But I could use a snack…" replied the giant brown werewolf who was now licking his cleaver. "Humans are rare in my area back in Arunafeltz."

"Oh… ok. So how about we share the kill? I'll take the juicy smith, and you take that flimsy looking dork as a toothpick? Deal?" the giant bear said.

"Hmm… oh well. If I don't like his taste, then I'll let the Galions do the eating." replied Atroce.

The duo was now cornered by two giant creatures. Cornelia will have no problem in beating these bosses into pulp, but she has to worry about Malchuz. "Damn it, he's freaking useless!" she told herself. Preparing to strike while glaring at the incoming bosses, a loud shot was heard from the other side of the clearing. It was recognizable that the shot came from a large gun barrel.

"Hunters?" Eddga wondered. "More food for me then."

"Just give some souvenirs, Edd, I hate walking over there." suggested the big, bad wolf.

BANG!

Another shot was heard from the other side of the forest. This time, Eddga keeled over and looked at his arm. "Dang it… this will take more than royal jelly to cure" he grumbled at the gash he just received from the previous shot.

BANG!

Yet another shot was fired, and it hit Atroce square on the shoulders. The werewolf screamed in pain. "Figures… humans can use projectiles."

As Cornelia and Malchuz watched in amazement, a little girl, about the height of a twelve year-old, was coming in from the treetops and jumping at the giant branches… and firing multiple bulltes form her shotgun.

"Who… who in Midgard is that?" wondered the duo, their eyes fixated by the lightning fast action that was happening right in front of them. More shots were heard and fired, both Eddga and Atroce was bleeding profusely at their joints. With another shot, the bosses dropped in exhaustion, only to leave to cure their wounds, and grumbling at the tenacity of humans to hurt "endangered wildlife".

"T-thank you… miss. But who are you?" Cornelia questioned the girl, who was wearing a crimson scarf in her neck, and carrying a basket… full of bullets.

"Little Red Riding Hood, at your service!" the girl replied, then immediately leapt to the nearest branch and disappeared.

"L-Little Red Riding Hood… has a shotgun?" Malchuz squealed. Seconds later, a clank was heard within the clearing. As the noise settled, the only things visible in the clearing were broken trees and an imprint of a grinning face in the ground.

"You idiot. At least cast some spells." Cornelia grumbled.

"I can't do that… my hands are not made for—oof!" cried Malchuz, stopped halfway by a punch at the ribcage.

"We're almost out of the forest. Sograt Border is up ahead. Let's set up camp there when the sun sets in the horizon." Cornelia said, a smile beaming on her face.


	5. Chapter 4

**Psychographics**

Chapter 4: Only the Dead Needs to Know My Name

**Payon Castle, towards the Prince's Royal Guest Room, 24 km from Prontera Castle**

Strolling along the spacious corridor of Payon Castle was Earl Kennedy le Dresden, along with his fiancée, Cath le Revaughn. Led by the Head Butler of Prince Kim Yin, the lovers followed the middle-aged man who wore his royal trappings and insignias with pride. He had white hair, neatly combed and brushed to his back. The butler was humming to himself, apparently singing a nursery rhyme, as they traveled towards the Prince's Royal Guestroom.

"The Prince sure loves art…" the young Earl of Dresden remarked at the huge paintings that covered the corridor's walls. "… it's been a while since I saw him last, I hadn't seen these paintings installed here before."

"That's because the Prince occasionally wants change in this corridor." answered the butler almost immediately. "The Prince finds this huge hallway pretty boring, and I must agree."

"… Are you the one who recommended these paintings to the Prince?" the heir of Revaughn questioned the butler, who was now taking a left turn in the spacious corridor. "…because as far as I can remember… the Prince is not fascinated by conventional art."

The butler, fascinated by their curiosity, revealed to them that indeed, he was the one that recommended the huge paintings to be installed in these blank walls. "I had the Prince choose among a wide variety of artwork and styles… yet the Prince chose only one artist among the vast collection of paintings that I had."

"The style used in these paintings is unconventional… but when you look at it closely, it takes you in. No… you live within the painting and experience it." Earl Kennedy continued to marvel at the paintings, giving his own interpretations as they continued down the hallway.

"You have a fine eye, young Earl…" remarked the Head Butler. "These paintings were all made by my son."

"R-really?" gasped Cath in disbelief. "Then your son must be a great artist. His works should be in line with the masters…"

"…But he doesn't love to paint, my dear heiress." the butler answered in a calm voice. "He made these paintings out of anger and frustration."

As the butler opened the giant door at the end of the hallway, the couple continued towards the room behind it. Momentarily thinking about the Prince's choice in art, and the "mad painter" behind it, the young Earl Dresden couldn't believe that such kind of a mismatch could exist. Either way, the apparent mismatch between him and Cath were no different…

**Prontera West Gate, 750m from Prontera Commercial Area**

A terrific explosion shook the area just past the West Gate's Garrison. Taken by surprise, the guards of the west garrison immediately dispatched two groups. One was to investigate the source of the explosion, and another to capture people who managed to gain illegal entry due to the confusion. The sentries of the west gate were accurate enough to point out the existence of five individuals who slipped passed their checkpoint by sunset following the explosion at the commercial area.

A plume of black smoke was now visible kilometers ahead from the site. The local fire brigade was delayed in their operation of putting out the fire at the site of the explosion. The citizens who chose to stay, despite the order of evacuation rallied at the west garrison claiming that this was part of a conspiracy hatched by the kingdom to monopolize the market stocks during this time of war. Adding to the confusion was the report of local witnesses claiming to have seen a misty figure near the area of the explosion.

Running quietly along the tiled streets of Prontera were five men on a mission. They were spies for the Kindom of Morroc, especially trained for sabotage and harassment. Killing opponents were the final option for them, for the Council had taught them the value of information.

"We're do we go from here, Seventh?" questioned Aicker, a lean-built Stalker in his early twenties, sporting a finely executed tattoo in his lower left eyelid. He is regarded as the Stalker-Mage Extraordinaire among the members of the guild, for his excellent skills with an artifact called the Elemental Sword. "You're the boss now… give us another order."

"Being hasty, aren't you?" replied another Stalker with blue-tinted hair. This was Endzeit, a veteran Stalker among the members. He is the resident tactician of the Rogue Guild. He cooks quite well. "If Red was here, he'll probably tear you apart." he continued.

"But Red is on his own now. We will finish this mission no matter what. Not just because it is his final order, but because our pride as a Stalker is at stake." Athet, another member added. He is the only member of the Guild unable to read and write, but is able to comprehend complex and abstract ideas. He reads books in any orientation. "Failure is an option only available to our enemies. Always remember that."

"Everything is for the sake of the mission. Our lives are worthless compared to the implications of the mission's success." Mhart added. Another veteran Stalker, he is literally "colorless" when nervous. Right now however, he is back to his normal state. "I can hear Red say that if he heard us."

"Red is going to sacrifice himself." Seventh said, his voice cracking with a low tone. He is the only member of the Division whose real name is completely unknown to his friends. Only the higher-ups know of it, as well as Gin… and if she told his husband, then Red as well. "Gin didn't join us immediately. It looks like she tried to bargain the situation earlier" Seventh continued his statement.

"Are you implying that Gin might be dead?" asked Athet.

"Maybe… Maybe not." Seventh snapped back immediately, cutting anymore questions. "She could have just stayed for a while and left. If she's still alive, then she'll find us, for sure."

"Anyway, Seventh…" Aicker began to ask.

"What is it? Is anything bothering you?" Seventh tried to calm the atmosphere down, Red's departure was a painful blow, but necessary… especially now that they all knew the contents hidden inside their previous leader's bag.

"… He wants to know your real name." explained Endzeit in advance. "Everyone wants to know it… since you're the leader now. Just be transparent like your predecessor." he pushed further.

"I see… but my real name is so common, it stinks." Seventh replied.

"Yeah… yeah… whatever." groaned the rest of the pack.

"Sigh… you just won't give will you?" he looked at his comrades with puppy eyes. They all nodded in agreement, giving him no choice but to say the truth. These guys, after all… were now under his command. With another sigh, the new leader of the pack finally revealed that he is... "Vince. Just call me, Vince."

There was silence amongst the other members. "You can't be… THAT Vince?" inquired Mhart… his face totally losing its color again.

With another sigh, he confirmed that he is indeed… "Vince, the Vandalizer." A moment of silence followed. Moments later, it was broken again.

"Whoa… would you look at that, our leader was the one mentioned in the rumors during our times in the Guild…" mentioned Athet. "Who would have thought?"

"The Vandalizer? I never heard of him…" said Aicker, somewhat breaking the shock of the moment. "Can you please explain what's happening here to me?" he requested politely.

"He was the one who met Death and came back literally… with a freaking big smile in his face." Endzeit revealed. "He once went to Niflheim for a mission, and encountered its ethereal guardian…"

"You don't mean… the Lord of Death?" Aicker exclaimed in shock. "Is… is that the reason why…"

"Why the huge white shield of the Lord of Death is now rainbow-colored? Yes." Endzeit revealed even more. "And not just that… he made an impression on the shield that baffled the new travelers who saw it on their journeys."

There was laughter among the men who knew the hilarity of the event. Seventh, or rather, Vince the Vandalizer, just remained quiet and listened to his crew. A growing smile was now visible in his face.

"Who would have thought a Stalker can do THAT? And we're talking about the Lord of the Dead…" Endzeit went even further. More laughter ensued, this time, Aicker was laughing as well, after realizing the events that he had heard when he was still new at the Guild.

"What made The Vandalizer famous among the Stalkers and Rogues in our Guild was the fact that…" Endzeit said slowly, adding some suspense to the conversation. "…The Vandalizer left a rainbow-colored drawing of a naked woman on the Lord of Death's giant shield!"

The group's laughter can be heard on the dark streets of Prontera. Their path was now illuminated by the installed street lamps, making their navigation easier, but increasing the chance of getting revealed. The latter was not a problem though.

"You see that tavern, guys?" Seventh finally spoke. "We'll stay there for tonight and get some rest. We can replenish our supplies on daybreak." he commanded.

Running faster, the group headed towards the tavern… but their route was blocked after the ground shook with tremendous power and magnitude. Cracks were visible on the tiled floors of Prontera. Buildings were crumbling to dust coming towards their direction.

"What was that just now? An earthquake?" Seventh wondered.

The crew of Stalkers stopped running immediately, looking for a foothold. Buildings were crumbled and literally broken to the foundation. Endzeit found something odd about their situation. "The line of destruction was pretty much linear." he informed the group. "This is not an earthquake, guys."

Then Aicker saw it. On top of the pile of rubble, a figure was standing. It was now laughing manically… then it stopped laughing abruptly. As if scanning the area, it stayed on its position and glared on the group who immediately vanished from his sight.

"I know you're hiding in there… you monkeys." growled the figure atop the rubble. Seconds later, the sound of cracking fingers were heard within the perimeter.

**45 minutes earlier, Prontera Castle, Hyatt's Headquarters**

Commander Hyatt was checking on his men throughout the afternoon. He issued orders on each division, preparing them for a possible assault on any side of their walls. While planning strategies inside his quarters, he was distracted by a faint whisper that came from behind him, as if a phantom had just infiltrated his headquarters. Turning around, his initial shock was changed to immediate amazement. Facing the phantasmic visitor, he greeted it with courtesy.

"What brings you here, at a time like this, Midnight Messenger?" he inquired to the misty figure standing near the padlocked door. "The clock hasn't struck midnight yet… and the sun is just about to set."

"I come bearing news… valuable news… as usual." the messenger replied to the Commander of the Primary Force under the orders of King Tristan III. "Besides… my time is not in sync to that of humans."

"I'm listening, Heavenly Father." Hyatt spoke to the messenger. Amused by this response, the messenger walked closer to the commander, and began to talk to him with a dignified demeanor. "So you already know who I am… Correct? I expect no less than the commander of the King's men." The messenger began.

"Your ravens reveal your identity immediately." Hyatt explained. "Everyone knows their names… but no one would really suspect that those ravens were really…"

"Huginn and Muninn." replied the Midnight Messenger. "They are my personal information gatherers, you see… I just watch over things and deliver the news to… worthy humans."

"Hmp… worthy. And you consider me as one? That's… flattering indeed, Sir." answered the commander. He was now smiling with content. "Let's just… move on to this news that you wish to relay to this lowly servant."

"Correction, commander…" the messenger snapped back, as if wounded by Hyatt's words. "Humans are not my servants…" he revealed.

"I see. I understand, Holy Father. Well then…"

"To begin with… I would like to denounce the rumors since time immemorial that I bear news about deaths. Yes, I do deliver death notices, but not always…" the Messenger explained. "The people I meet with are afraid of the news I bring, and consider it an omen, branding me as a harbinger of doom. In fact, I do the opposite… since I give them a chance to counter the threads of fate spun by the Norns."

Silence remained between the two beings… only to be broken by the Messenger that… "I give them life..." it said.

"You mean you…" Hyatt spoke in amazement. "Thank you very much, Holy Father."

"You understand, don't you?" questioned the misty being, confirming if the general was able to comprehend his statements. "You do understand that I…"

"… You give a warning. A prediction. You tell the future to anyone worthy of changing their fate." Commander Hyatt replied sternly, his face showing uneasiness.

"That is certainly correct, my little child… I do have powers to do that. After all, I am no one but…"

"Holy, Father."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Please tell me what my future holds."

"As you wish, mortal."

The Midnight Messenger related the message concerning the upcoming events that would happen to him and the Kingdom, as well as his related duties and responsibilities. The information was staggering… making the commander fall on his knees and sweat heavily.

"I must leave now. Use the information you gained to gain what you really want." The Midnight Messenger spoke with finality. "Do not be afraid to face reality."

Leaving the Commander, who was kneeling on the floor of his quarters, the misty being then left the castle and instantly settled on top of a building located in a busy commercial square. It was almost sundown, and the sky was tinged an orange hue.

"Look at them my dear ravens… aren't they beautiful?" the being told to its informants. "Too beautiful… for their own good. Those humans…" eyeing a group of people on the west gate.

A grin covered its face, and as it stood up, remembered the words he had just told the Commander.

"Humans are not my servants…" The grin present in its face then grew even sicker.

"… They are my toys."

Flicking its fingers, the being targeted the barrels of gasoline hidden in the corner of a stall with a tiny flame. Seconds later, the barrels sparked.

**At the same time, 45 minutes earlier, Prontera East Gate**

"Mmph!... Hrmph!" shouted a gagged High Wizard, who was trying to break his cuffs. His friend, a female Master Smith, shackled him like this as if she had a fetish for bondage.

"Wait… what? Bondage? Fetish?" was the thought that surged in his mind. If her friend really does have a bondage fetish… does that mean…

"Mmmppphh! Hmmrrrph!" he struggled to get the gag out of his mouth. His female friend, however, is NOT amused. Being the one who gagged and shackled this muscle-bound guy (which was rare for a High Wizard) was a spectacular feat to watch. Whistles were earned back in their earlier meeting in the Sograt Border, as the Rune Knights and Royal Guards marveled at the sight of the Backbreaker pawning a heavily built guy… who totally looked like a sissy after the ordeal.

"Will you please?" the female Master Smith scowled at the gagged High Wizard. "If you keep that up, I'll let Hyatt's warg do the rest of the job!"

Then there was silence between the two of them.

"Hrrmmmph! Hrmmphhh!" Malchuz continued to struggle, obviously telling Cornelia that he is one stubborn guy.

"Pipe down, will you?" she said in irritation. Seconds past and Malchuz seemed to have given up.

"Hrrmpphhhh! Hrrmmmppph!" Malchuz was burning with with rage. Love and Rage. If this was all it took to pipe him down, then his body-building was all for nothing.

Gnawing the fabric Cornelia used to gag him, he continued in chewing on it until it gave way, and he was able to breath easier.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?" he screamed with all his might to the female beside him. Dozens of strange looks and stares focused on his direction, obviously disturbed by the profanity of his sentence.

Then it hit him. The female he had just shouted on with the top of his lungs was now on the verge of crying. "Oh shi—" he said after taking a quick gulp.

"I'm… I'm so—" were the final words heard that day for the pathetic High Wizard, as seconds later, a rectangular, metallic object hit him square on the head. Thrice. The sound of broken bones and muffled screams drew some attention from a nearby crowd. The smith was about to finish the freaking guy's agony but something else happened.

Something just exploded on the other side of the city.

**Omake (Bonus)**

**A certain tavern in Prontera, 243m from Prontera Castle, 45 minutes ago**

"Howdy, stranger!" the tavern's manager greeted then lad with brown locks with a tint of red. "What can I do for 'ya?" the manager inquired his new customer. The manager was around fifty years old, and sporting a blue shirt and dark blue pants. His face were pinkish, making him look like a foreigner from Aldebaran.

"Do you have iced tea today?" asked the lad.

"Why yes, my good man… only 250 zennies, and you'll be gluggin that slick down your throat!" the tavern manager replied with a trace of excitement in his voice. "We rarely have customers visit at this time of the day… so take a seat wherever you want."

"Thanks… that would be all."

"Comin' right up!"

As the manager barked the customer's orders to his crew, the lad slumped on his seat and began to breathe heavily. "If this gets worse, I won't be able to hold out much longer…" he said to himself as he looked at his left arm… now covered midway through with black marks. "It will eat me little by little… but if I break so soon, then who knows what can happen?" he thought.

"Just curious, lad…" the middle-aged manager asked his customer. "What are those marks on your arm? Is it some kind of skin disease?"

"Oh… this…" the lad pointed to his left arm. "It's a… a birthmark of sorts. Weird, huh?" he reasoned out. "My friends always assured me that it's not diabetes… so I'm a bit alright about its state."

"Dia…beetuus?" scowled the manager. "Never heard of that before…"

"Beats me… I need to live with these marks till I expire."

"That doesn't matter… anyway, here's your iced tea… with a bendable straw!"

"Now that's fancy…" the lad smiled.

"You're a curious one, you know…" mentioned the manager. "Hmm… would you mind telling me your name, lad?"

"You first, Sir…"

"Ho ho… you're a snappy one. I like that." the manager said with glee. "I'm Yoo Jin H. Crubbs… and this is my restaurant… the Krusty Crubb."

"Yoo Jin? Sounds like your from Payon, but you look like a foreigner from Aldebaran…"

"Well, I am of Aldeon descent, so that explains it… though I once lived in Byalan.

"Byalan Island? But that place is deserted!"

"You never know unless you look really hard, my boy…"

"Oh… right. My name is…"

KRASSSHHH!

A loud sound from the boiler room broke the conversation between the lad and the middle-aged manager. The horror was visible in the expression of Mr. Crubbs, who was now scolding his fry cook for breaking the porcelain plates imported from Amatsu.

"Spongebob! What the barnacle—" the manager exclaimed.

"I didn't do it Mr. Crubs! I swear!" the fry cook answered, pleading for his life, as if the manager was going to kill him right off the bat. He had yellowish skin and pockmarks covering his cheeks. Like his manager, he had a weird fashion sense, wearing a white uniform with a blue tie, as well as stiff, figure-hugging, dark brown pants.

"Then who in Midgard did it? Eh? Obviously not Squidward over there…" said the manager, pointing to the cashier section, where a man in his early twenties was busy counting the contents of the cash register. He had creases in his forehead at such an early age which can be blamed for worrying, but there was something else easily recognizable about him. DAT NOSE.

"Then who did it?" demanded the manager. "Who did it? Huh?"

"It was Sheldon!" the fry cook answered.

"Sheldon? But he can't possibly—" Mr. Crubs thought for a second. "how can he… break those plates if he isn't here?"

"You forgot something Mr. Crubs" the fry cook replied. "Sheldon has this thing called "technology" that makes him do anything!"

"Sniping my precious porcelain from his hellhole eh?"

The lad wondered at the possibility that the names of these people were even their real names… much like Seventh. But he dismissed it immediately. No one would be stupid enough to—"

KRASSSSSSHHHH!

Another batch of porcelain plates broke. A maniacal laugh was heard on the rooftop, and the manager immediately went to the nearest phone in the tavern.

"Hello? We need Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy! On the jibby!"

The lad just laughed at what he had just heard. "Those can't be their real names too!" he thought.

"Aghh… that Sheldon is going to pay! Spongebob! Hand me the golden spatula!" ordered the manager.

"Here it is, Sir!" the fry cooked acted immediately.

Within a second, the middle-aged manager of the Krusty Crubb went over to the neighboring tavern which the fry cook described as the "Chumm Buckett". Finding the place wonderful and weird… the lad got up and paid his drinks to the cashier.

"250 zennies." the lad said. "Err… anyway, are they always like this?" he inquired the cashier.

"Huumm…. Yes. Apparently. Half of my life is wasted here already. I have no extra lives left, though." replied the cashier. "You see these wrinkles? You'll get them when you stay here for too long."

"Oh… that's…"

"And let's not get started on our names."

"What is your real name really?"

"Classified information, Sir, classified information."

"Sure… anyway, thanks for the service."

"Have fun with your life, traveler… the world is a nice place to live in… except here."

With a quick stride, the lad left the restaurant-slash-tavern, and went for a place to stay for the night. Then… an explosion was heard from the other side of the street.


	6. Chapter 5

**Psychographics**

Chapter 5: The Eight Parts of Speech

**East Gate Street, 2 Minutes after the explosion in Prontera Commercial Area**

Hesitating to go to the source of the explosion on the other side of the city, Cornelia, along with the convoy that Hyatt dispatched, pressed forward instead towards Prontera Castle, where the Commander awaited them.

"I was surprised that you didn't run like hell towards that explosion, Cornelia" remarked Onnie, situated at the front of the convoy of Rune Knights and Royal Guards. "My men should learn from you, actually. Your maturity is way beyond your age." He continued.

"Quit flattering me, Onnie…" Cornelia countered, dismissing the previous statement. "Of course you know the reason why I didn't move towards the explosion's direction at all."

"You felt his presence, didn't you? I heard he's back on duty…"

"Yeah, after that time he managed to total Alberta due to the Pirate Skeleton raids, he's finally back… I can feel his aura from here."

"Who the heck are you two talking about?" butted a manly-built High Wizard, but something in his face shows that he isn't so hardcore anymore. "Explosions and auras? I don't get anything out of it."

"I can't blame you, Malchuz…" the pretty smith replied, giving his friend some leniency, which was quite rare. "You totally passed out after three rounds of—"

"Se—" Malchuz tried to continue the sentence, only to be stopped by rock-hard pinch in his cheek. "H-hey! Ouchhhh!"

"Oh… here we go again…" Onnie said with a smile in his face.

"Stop acting like a child, you sissy…" Cornelia said to the High Wizard whose cheeks were now glowing like Christmas balls. "We're almost near the castle. See? We just passed your favorite place…"

"Oh, heavens… it's the library…" Malchuz said, drooling over the sight of neon signs that have been flanked near the said building. "I wish I could go there…"

"H-hey! The library is on THAT direction, not in those glowing signs!" Cornelia shouted. "You… I feel so sorry for you… your fiancée would cry if she saw you like that, you idiot." she said, sighing deeply.

"Sorry… I was just…" the High Wizard said, trying to find an excuse. "SOMETIMES, I get so careless… I forget about other people's feelings."

"More like ALWAYS, you idiot."

"Stop calling me an idiot! Don't you know that I'm the—"

"Don't say IT. The memory just makes me sick."

"Whoa, you two seems like you DID have a shared history." Onnie said, teasing the duo. "Maybe I should ask Commander Hyatt. —"

"Y-you got it all wrong, Onnie!" Cornelia snapped back immediately "there was no US! Ever and ever will be! Believe me!"

"Now you sound like that commoner we met earlier…" Malchuz answered.

"Wha-? How did you know about the commoner we stopped over earlier?" the smith asked, completely taken by surprise.

"Well, duh? You gagged my mouth, but not my ears…" the High Wizard answered sarcastically. "I suggest next time you try to use other meth—"

Cut short before finishing his sentence, Malchuz immediately noticed Cornelia's facial expression change. "We're here." she told him.

"Open the gates! It is I, Onnie, an agent under Commander Hyatt's command! We demand passage between these gates!" the suave Arch Bishop ordered the sentries.

A few seconds later, the heavy iron doors of Commander Hyatt's headquarters opened, thus allowing their entire convoy within the walls of this heavily guarded garrison. Malchuz was amazed on how Hyatt managed to gain such a grand property; he immediately seized the thought after seeing Hyatt's warg.

The warg was not on its cage and unleashed, but didn't attack anyone, a mark of excellent training. As the entire convoy passed by the huge, blue-furred animal, it remained still and silent… until Malchuz came along.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…raffr!

"That freaking warg hates me." Malchuz told Cornelia with a sigh. "It's been two years since I saw that creature, though."

"It hates your guts, Malchuz…" Cornelia replied with sarcasm. "… A LOT."

"Yeah… I'm beginning to have this feeling that Hyatt trained that thing to kill me just for the fun of it."

"Now, now… Hyatt isn't like that… H-hey! Isn't that?..."

As Malchuz surveyed the area, he finally focused on the direction where Cornelia pointed her cute and pointy finger. On the distance, standing upon a staircase made of cobblestone, was their friend who ordered their… no, Cornelia's free ride. "He sure is a pimp." he said with a shrug.

Cornelia wasted no time and ran towards the figure who was now hurrying down the stone steps. "She acts really different when he's around…" Malchuz continued to remark, feeling a slight pain in his chest while like looking at the scene in front of him. "Nah… of course I can't… I'm engaged already." he finally told to himself, and walked towards the figure ahead.

"Hyatt! Hyatt! It's been a while, my munchkin!" Cornelia cried out as she ran towards the Commander. "Oh you cutesy, little…"

"Sigh… You never change, don't you?" Hyatt shrugged. Seeing how his men reacted on how her fiancée called him by his lovely nickname, he immediately ordered them to go back to their posts. "… Cornelia…you're such a…"

Finally meeting with an embrace, Cornelia felt the ultimate happiness she could ever have felt. Finally, after two long years, she got to see him again. "Oh, the memories they spent before he left to join the army…" were the thoughts in her mind. Her eyes instinctively searched for her lover's lips, reaching up towards his face and forgetting everything she had gone through while she was alone traveling the world. Kissing Hyatt like this was like an impossible dream, given the fact that they might never meet again should he die in this war.

Seconds seemed like hours between the couple. As Hyatt held Cornelia closer to his embrace, he gladly returned her kisses, aware of the people witnessing around them. This woman, his one and only… was his single joy. "I really wanted to see you…" he whispered to her ear. The smith blushed and gave him a slight tap on the cheeks. "You've gotten taller… munchkin…" she said. "I won't be able to keep up with you if THAT gets taller as well." she continued jokingly.

A chorus of whistles was heard amidst the entire infantry surrounding the couple. Malchuz, on the other hand, did not pay attention anymore. He seemed to act differently when he's with these two lovebirds.

"Having a good time, aren't we?" Onnie said to him sarcastically, tapping the High Wizard's shoulders. "I know the feeling, son… I know the feeling."

"Shut up, gramps." Malchuz snapped back. The Arch Bishop grinned.

**West Gate Street, 860m from Hyatt's Headquarters**

Amidst the rubble, General Kier looked around the darkness only illuminated by the sole remaining street lamp. His eyes were looking for monkeys… five monkeys to be exact. Cracking his knuckles another time, he finally broke his silence.

"I know where you're all hiding, you Morrocan monkeys!" he yelled at the hidden individuals, taunting them. "If you don't surrender immediately, then I'll be using lethal force." he continued.

Silence. No response at all.

"So you want to play games, huh?" the General said, smiling from ear to ear. "Well then… let's play tag."

Licking his lips as if warming up, the General now focused his energy to his palm, sending out a blast of five spheres northeast of him, upwards. "You're it!" he chuckled.

As the spheres traveled with tremendous speed, the "monkey" being targeted came forward from the same direction, stepping on the spheres as if they were footholds. His speed can be compared to a rampaging Orc Lord. The "monkey" carried a sword that was slightly curved at the end. The targeted individual however, didn't come out alone. It brought with him four elemental bolts, each having the respective color of their assigned elements. "Hmm… impressive." the General said, his smile now turning to a wide grin.

At point blank range, the targeted individual's identity became known to the General. Upon the individual's release of its four elemental bolts, the General staggered at the sheer force the "monkey" had. Before being buried alive at the final bolt, he waved the sword away.

"Just as I suspected…" General Kier said, with a smug face after getting out of the hole he was about to get buried in. "If it isn't the Stalker-Mage extraordinaire… Aicker Phalanx."

The individual referred to maintained in its stance as he landed several feet after his counterattack. Finally recognizing the enemy, a drop of cold sweat grazed his temple down to his chin. "It can't be… General Kier?"

"So you do remember!" the General answered back, as if confirming the Stalker's thoughts. "How was your life after you left the Monks of the Abbey?"

"None of your business, crapgeezer." he snapped back, offended by his opponent's words. "Leaving your pathetic group did a lot of great things to me." he prattled on.

"Big words… for a traitor, that is." taunted Kier, his tone now sarcastic. "You only got lucky because of that Artifact, kiddo. You're far from defeating someone like me in a duel."

"I don't need to defeat you." Aicker replied, as he pointed his Artifact Weapon, the Elemental Sword, to the General who was now walking towards him.

"Oh? Then what will you do? Kill me? That's impossible." the General teasingly replied. "Didn't you see what just happened? I just survived your attack! Is that all you've got after years of training with those monkeys in Morroc?"

"I don't need to defeat you, Kier… I'll clear it up to you. I don't need to kill you either." he said once again, his head now bowed as if thinking deeply.

"Huh? What was that? I can't hear your monkey sounds…"

Silence. Terrible silence was now between the two combatants.

"What? Don't tell me you just jizzed in your pants… pathetic monkey."

That did it. As Aicker faced up and glared at the enemy, a faint, circular magic seal was visible on the ground. The atmosphere suddenly became arid, crumbling the debris surrounding them into dust. The General felt a surge of electricity flow through his arms.

"Hmp. You and your words… that won't do anything at all…" General Kier told to his opponent. "I've had enough talk. I'll finish you off… and then your monkey friends. I promise to leave bananas in your gravestone, though."

"Ha… haha… hahahahahahahahaha….!" the Stalker-Mage laughed as if there was no tomorrow. "You clearly have no brains… but just brawns…"

Ignoring his opponent's words, the General ran towards the Stalker-Mage, his right arm charged with glowing white energy. The noise it made wasn't heard seconds after the impact, confirming that it broke the sound barrier. General Kier knew he had hit the monkey square on the face. No one will survive such a terrible, jaw-breaking blow.

Then the monkey spoke behind him.

"I already told you, Kier… I don't need to kill you. Doesn't your tiny brain understand that?" Aicker told his opponent, his rage clearly visible.

"You… you bastard! How in the—"

Before the General was able to finish his words, the Stalker-Mage deliberately jammed his Artifact Weapon within the General's right arm.

The General didn't let out a single scream, the testament of long and heavy training of his body. "That's it? Just a stab in the arm? Don't make me laugh, Aicker!"

But the Stalker-Mage wasn't listening. His actions were now automatic as well as his reflexes. It was only a matter of time before he will exhaust his stamina for performing this somewhat suicidal technique.

"Quit playing, you mor—"

Interrupted again, the General found himself gagged in the mouth by Aicker's fingers. But before he could react and bite his opponent, the Stalker-Mage had already completed his technique.

"You can tell me in hell." he mockingly said to the General, whose right arm was now limp, and was also unable to speak.

After the dust settled, Vince and the other members of the Desert Party gathered around the General. Aicker was kneeling on the cracked tiles on the street, and his eyelids were bleeding.

"Now we know why Aicker is called the Stalker-Mage Extraordinaire… right guys?" Vince told the rest of the group. "Nice job, out there Aicker."

"I knew you wouldn't interrupt me…" Aicker replied, trying to stand up.

"Of course we wouldn't, you idiot. We know how much you hate this guy." Endzeit said, pointing to the paralyzed Sura beside them.

"I think I saw that technique somewhere before, Aicker… it's pretty familiar." Athet mentioned.

"I agree… that technique is one of the most difficult ones to execute, after all." Mhart added to the conversation.

"Yeah…" Aicker said, another gasp for air escaping his mouth. "Red… taught it to me… he told me… that I had potential, and I believed him."

"That technique… that was…?" Vince asked the Stalker-Mage, as if confirming his suspicions.

"Insisto Umbra." Aicker revealed. "Follow the Shadow… Red always told me that. I owe him a lot, of course."

"Now isn't that sweet?" teased the Vandalizer.

"Be careful though…" he warned the others. "Red can also execute that… effortlessly."

With another sigh, Aicker Phalanx, the Stalker-Mage Extraordinaire, passed out due to extreme exhaustion. As Vince carried him on his back, the pack immediately left the scene… and the paralyzed Sura with it.

The moon was glowing brightly against the dark night sky. Moments after the Vandalizer's gang had left, a misty figure accompanied by two ravens appeared on the scene of the recently finished battle. It stood in front of the paralyzed General, who was staring blankly towards the sky.

Waving its arms over the mortal, the previously paralyzed General Kier was now kneeling on the cracked tiles on the floor. His right arm functioned normally, and he was now able to speak. Hearing a chuckle from the misty being, he finally looked up.

"It's been a while, General Kier… I bring news… valuable news… as usual." It told the Sura.

"M-Midnight Messenger… what are you doing here?"

"Watching over the progress of humanity…"

"Progress? You mean this war?"

"Not quite, General Kier… the war is but a grain of sand in a seashore."

"Wh-what do you mean? There's more to this war than just a battle among resources?"

"Maybe… maybe not…" it replied.

"I really don't understand you…"

The misty being smiled even more. It now extended its hands to the General, as if making an offer.

"You… you're going to help me?" General Kier questioned the being. "But at what price?" he pressed on.

After bobbing its head up and down… as if thinking of funny things, the being replied to the General with a calm and soothing voice.

"Absolutely nothing." the being answered, its smile now turned into a sickly grin.

"…except your future." the Midnight Messenger continued in thought.

**Kim Yin's Royal Suite, Payon Castle, 25km from Prontera Castle**

"Do you know the difference between The Blur and The Divider, Earl Kennedy?" Prince Kim Yin immediately inquired to one of his guests after entering his room. He was about 18 years old, roughly the same age as the Earl of Dresden. He had long blonde hair, and eyes tinted light green. The Prince was wearing the typical attire for a royalty of Payon, covered with flowing robes with floral and tribal designs. "I hope you've done your research, my dear friend."

"Hmm…" Earl Kennnedy le Dresden pretended to think. "The Divider is a monster controlled by instinct. The Blur, however, is more refined and capable of thinking." he finally answered.

"Good! It looks like you did your homework!" the young Prince said with glee. "Are you sure you didn't just learn it from your delicious fiancée?" he continued, teasing the Earl, as he licked on the lady's chin.

Cath le Revaughn blushed and trembled at the actions of the young Prince. She could not react of course, for she was of lower societal rank… even though she was older than him. The Prince reminded her of Kennedy, despite his constant personal tirades on her whenever she visits him together with his fiancé. He and Kennedy have the same interest… in women. Older women. Despite being younger than her, Cath was swayed by the words of an 18 year old Earl, while she was already twenty four.

"Hey… get your tongue off my fiancée!" Kennedy screamed, shocking everyone in the room. Cath was distracted though… "Where did the butler go?" she asked herself.

"Now that's surprising…" the Prince told the Earl. "I never knew you already grew a backbone… finally deciding to tie the knot to your personal slut?" he continued insulting the Earl, and targeting Cath with his words as well.

"You always speak so lowly of my fiancée. That would be enough!" the Earl of Dresden immediately snapped, his voice forceful and commanding.

"Fascinating… an Earl, ordering a Prince?" Prince Kim Yin said with a high tone.

Cath couldn't bear it any longer. If she wouldn't be able to redeem herself, then she'd rather leave at once. Making a quick turn, she attempted to leave.

"What are you doing, Cath? Don't get affected by this psychotic bastard of a Prince!" he told his fiancée. "You shouldn't run away like this when you're hurt! He wants to see that happen!"

Understanding her fiancé's words, she decided to turn around and face the Prince of Payon, who was now making an advance towards her. Kennedy tried to block him, but he shoved him away with little effort. Earl Dresden slumped on the floor, hitting the door they had just entered.

"You can't even protect your bed slave, Kennedy… how pitiful."

Struggling to gain a foothold, Kennedy held on the door's handles, stood up and ran towards the Prince… who was now licking his fiancée's collarbone. Any second now, he could take her down THERE. "Damn it… that bastard…" he thought.

PHKK!

An audible slap echoed across the Prince's room. The Earl of Dresden remained frozen in his position. The Prince of Payon however, was taken aback by the sudden force that landed on his left cheek.

Cath, maintaining her demeanor, walked briskly towards the Prince, and grabbed his throat with a single hand. Her other hand then began to proceed towards the Prince's abdomen… making her way slowly downwards…

"Please… stop." a faint cry sounded off from the Prince

"What?" asked the Heiress of Revaughn to her current captive.

"Please… stop it…" the Prince repeated.

"Hmp." the Heiress snubbed the request.

"Aahhh….. ahhhck….."

"Males are so pathetic… all they brag about is just THIS piece of meat…"

Kennedy remained motionless, his face completely taken over by shock and his subsequent bewilderment. The events happened way too fast, he wasn't able to react.

"Hnnggg…. Hrrrkkkk….."

"So? You want me to stop, my dear Prince?"

"Ppphhhh….. sssss… tttpp….."

"What? I can't hear you!"

"Phhh….. Please…. Ssss…. Stop…"

"…Then beg for your life. I order you."

**Omake (Bonus) 5 minutes after the explosion**

The lad who just left a certain restaurant-slash-tavern minutes ago hesitated to run towards the direction of the explosion. Even though it was near his location, he didn't look alarmed at the situation at all. In fact, he was calm and smiling to himself.

He went for the opposite direction, towards an abandoned housing facility located near the Prontera Library. "If Grey knows about my arrival, then he'll surely be there." He told himself. After fixing his attire for a moment, he now headed for his destination.

In the middle of the street however, were a group of children talking about something he had never seen before. Each of the children held cards in their hands which looked like the premium passes he had just stolen from noble minutes ago. But on closer inspection of the cards, it dawned upon the lad that these cards were part of a…

…children's card game.

"Haha! You didn't finish me off for having a Level 25 Grizzly Card!" said a child with spiky golden hair… with shades of black and purple. "What the heck was up with this kid's hair?" the lad thought.

"Oh yeah? Then take a look at this! I activate my Level 32 Giant Hornet Card's Special Skill!" replied another child with blonde hair. It took the lad another second to realize that they were… fighting. With cards.

"You're both weaklings compared to my trump card…" said a third one. "Let's see you finish off my Level 73 (ob) Noxious Card!"

The lad came closer to the group of children, somewhat curious about this newfangled game he had never seen in his hometown. "Uhmm… excuse me, what are you doing?" he asked the children. "…you're blocking the path."

"Sorry, pops! I'm Yuugi, the weaklings beside me are Jhoey, and Ghey-ba. We're playing Duel Monsters of Midgard! It's a Trading Card Game imported from the City of Amatsu! The guy who made this is a genius, I tell you… a genius!" the kid with spiky hair answered him.

"And… what exactly happens in this "Duel"?" the lad asked further, bugged about the geek level of these kids.

"You summon Monster Cards with Levels, and support them with Spells and Traps in order to win against your opponent! Neat, huh?" the kid explained further. The lad left after hearing this. Apparently, the kids didn't care. A few seconds later, he heard a booming voice from one of the kids.

"I ACTIVATE… MY TRAP CARD!"


	7. Chapter 6

**Psychographics**

Chapter 6: When Do People Learn to Walk?

**Morroc Castle Terrace, 146km from Prontera Castle**

Lord Marcus Brifon, one of the four Lords of Morroc, leisurely walked upon the stone tiles that made up the terrace situated near the western wing of Morroc Castle. The desert's cold nights didn't bother him at all, for he was wearing thick robes. He had just finished from his meditation session from the castle's basement, apparently deciding to come up and get some fresh air.

Being in his seventies, he is the oldest member among the Lords, and considered the wisest among them. His previous decisions involving both external and internal affairs had never once faltered, gaining him the respect of his colleagues.

Removing his hood, the lighting of the desert moon reveals that he has short, white hair brushed with a tint of scarlet. His face however, looked a lot younger than anyone expected for a man in his seventies. Taking a quick break from his walk, he decided to stop near the terrace's northern end. Surveying the landscape in front of him, he breathed in heavily and sighed.

"It has been a long time since Grey contacted me… even though he had just finished his playtime in Payon." be contemplated, his voice rough and unrefined. "If Red decides to find him, then things will get even more interesting. It'll be fun to watch such a spectacle… a battle between two gigantic forces. Light and darkness, consuming each other… both will be annihilating the antithesis of their natures."

"You seem to be having a good time, Lord Marcus." said a fine voice from behind him. "I can see the glee in your face quite clearly."

Hearing a familiar voice, the Lord turned around towards his left slightly. Eyeing the figure behind him, he remained silent for a moment. Standing near the entrance of the terrace was a smiling, misty figure accompanied with two ravens. The Lord didn't seem to be bothered by its sudden appearance at all.

"My, my…" Lord Marcus began to reply. "If it isn't the Light of Heaven… or should I say… the Midnight Messenger."

"I wouldn't mind being called by any name…" the Midnight Messenger answered back. "I come bearing news… valuable news…"

"As usual." the Lord said, cutting the Messenger's classic entrance speech.

Extremely delighted by the mortal's response, the misty being moved in closer, ready to relay his news of the future to the aged Lord.

"I really like your style, my Light…" remarked Lord Marcus. "You always appear at the right moment. What is the news for me this time?" he asked excitedly.

There was no man anywhere else in the entirety of Midgard that was utterly excited at the sight of the Midnight Messenger but the Lord Marcus Brifon of Morroc Castle. The messenger had already seen all kinds of people by relaying the future events to humans ever since the beginning of time, and he was often met with fear or veneration. But the human who stood in front of him was entirely different.

"You're always excited, my loyal patron." the misty figure remarked. "It's been like… sixty years or so in human time since I relayed the events of the future to you."

"You can't blame me, my Light… I have always reviewed your predictions carefully… and doing the best I can to change anything that I didn't like in the possible future you revealed to me. Thus, I was able to conquer any foe imaginable and breezed through obstacles like a demi-god. No, I feel like a god."

The Midnight messenger smiled more and more. Visibly amused by the capacity of humans to compare or even equate themselves to any of the gods was something that bothered the gods since the beginning of time. Humanity wanted access to the highest form of any kind of power, that thing was for sure.

"You can believe anything you want, Lord Marcus…" the misty being replied. "That's why time and space is bendable according to your Scholars…"

"Bendable by human will, that is."

"You're pretty snappy, for an old frog…"

"Haha… you're not the only one who told me that… you really remind me of him, though. But he isn't here right now."

"Hmm… then who is this other human? Do I know him?"

"Maybe… maybe not… but I think you've seen him before when he was younger. Do you remember Grey?"

"Hmm… let me check my memory…"

"Take your time, Sir…"

There was silence. After a few minutes, the Midnight Messenger answered the Lord… "I'm sorry, Lord Marcus, but I don't remember anyone named Grey… perhaps I haven't visited a human named like that, yet."

"I see… then please proceed to your news, Sir. I'm always eager to listen."

"Fine then… where shall we begin? How about we start with the current events in Prontera?"

"That would be alright, Sir. After all, my special troops are currently on a mission there to sabotage Prontera's defences."

"Interesting… now about that…"

**Abandoned Housing Facility, North of Prontera East Gate**

As Red made his way towards the only location he knew that is former comrade will certainly stay, thoughts surged in his mind. Thoughts filled with hope and despair, love and hate, as well as thoughts of life and death. His former comrade would pay a lot to see him like this… suffering to the brink of destroying himself. He must be having a good view from above, looking at his current state from below.

"You will pay for what you've done, Grey." the lad with a brown wig murmured under his breath. "This is for everyone… everyone's dignity…"

Red Viele'au Sylenfeit, the former leader of the Stalker's Desert Party, hastened his steps. He could feel his comrade's presence within the area.

"He's pretty close…" he told himself, his face smug. "It's payback time."

As the cold wind rustled the trees on the roadside, the lad began to run. The location of his former comrade was up ahead, emanating an eerie glow caused in the moonlit night. He continued faster and faster, ignoring the pile of rubble that managed to catapult in the area due to the earlier explosion.

Then he saw him, finally.

Sitting on the roof of a dilapidated building, was a male approximately in his late twenties, almost the same age as Red. He had long grey hair that reached his shoulders. Perhaps this was the reason why both of them were named after a certain color, most notably their own hair.

Stopping near his location, Red stared at the man he had been looking for all his life. He was the person responsible for his cursed fate. Preparing himself to face his former comrade, took the bag whose contents were shown to a group of Stalkers loyal to the mission.

Noticing Red's arrival, Grey decided to stand up from his position. He didn't look excited at all. In fact, his face showed perfect calmness. Walking towards the edge of the roof, he eyed on the brown… no, the red-haired Stalker below mockingly.

Red walked in closer towards his former comrade. Leaping from platform to platform, he eventually reached Grey's location at the edge of the roof. He stood on higher ground, meeting his former comrade's eyes with contempt. After opening his bag, he calmly drew the content that ultimately separated their team earlier.

"Do you know what THIS is?" Red asked his former comrade. "Do you remember how I got THIS in the first place?"

"I know…" Grey mockingly replied to the Stalker who was showing him a thing that they both knew very well back then. "… Is THAT the only reason why you came here?"

"Of course not… You… you sick fuck of a friend."

"Fascinating… and you seem blinded by your rage. How beautiful… the eyes of a man looking for retribution. But alas, fate will ultimately decide for him, and there's nothing he can do about it."

"Stop spouting nonsense, you dimwit!"

"Come on, Red… are you still mad at be because I used you and left you to die? It's been like… twenty years? I really thought you have forgotten."

"Fuck you."

"You've grown quite… barbaric. Maybe I should have listened to Lord Marcus' orders and got you killed in the first place…"

"Lord Marcus? He wouldn't! Quit lying! I know the Lord himself very much! I have grown up with him over the years! He was the one who trained me to be an elite Stalker… and now you're saying he wants me dead? What kind of nonsense are you talking about you… you bastard!"

"Then you've been blinded by his "love" since the beginning. I find it funny that the idea never even crossed your little brain."

"What are you—"

"Let me guess. You thought I was a friend, and a loyal one at that. Then supposedly, I betrayed your feelings of trust towards me. Then you thought that I ran away and hid from you so you wouldn't get a chance to have your revenge done once and for all…"

"You… what are you implying? Don't tell me that you did all of that bullshit just for a good laugh?"

"If you think about it… yes."

"You're sick. You're really sick… you're not human; Grey… you're values fall far from society's standards. Don't you have any sense of morality at all?"

"What morality? You mean those useless personal treaties you people abide in? That's totally out of the question! Standards? Nobody gives a fuck when a baby desert wolf is devoured by its own mother because it's starving…"

"You're out of your mind… no wonder you were able to do that to me and the others. They trusted you, Grey! All of them! And what happened to all of them? They died meaninglessly!"

"See? And now you're blaming me for the deaths of your other friends… typical for a man who was brainwashed by some old frog whom he thought of as a father figure…"

"Stop insulting Lord Marcus! He's a loyal friend! He… he's unlike you and your sick methods of living!"

"Insulting? No, Red… you got it all mixed up. The Lord ordered me to THAT to you. I followed him just for the fun of it. It's pretty simple."

"What? Are you telling me that the man I respect is a liar? Are you saying that he conspired to mark me with The Criteria to make me suffer?"

"Why don't you just ask him? Though I highly doubt that he'll tell you the details… and besides, he did that to almost every qualified student he can find. Apparently, you're the only one capable of handling The Criteria for this generation."

"You're not making sense… you mean to say my friends died because of…"

"Slow aren't you? We've been practically talking about this morality nonsense for quite a while… it's about time I explained the truth to you."

"I'm not listening to your lies… you sick fuck."

"Go ahead… it's your choice. But I doubt the Seal of Morroc believes otherwise…"

In Red's shock, the Seal of Morroc, a round black piece of Ancient Material inscribed with a powerful red sigil, the very same thing that separated the entire party earlier was shining brightly, and beginning to sting in his hands. Finding the pain too difficult to bear, he instinctively dropped the seal.

Following the slope of the roof, the seal rolled towards Grey's location. He calmly picked it up and held it in his palms. It didn't seem to burn him at all… in fact, he was playing with it.

"What… what are you, really?" Red questioned, obviously baffled. "No one except the bearer of the Criteria can handle The Seal! Normal humans can't even touch that!"

"Who told you that bullshit? Your trusted father? The oh-so-pure Lord Marcus?" Grey mockingly answered the bewildered Stalker in front of him. "Don't tell me… you believed every single word of it?"

"Why you…you take that back, you sick fuck!" Red demanded; his voice cracking.

"It just shows that you still can't control that power of yours properly. Even The Seal is rejecting you already! Look!" Grey said, holding The Seal in his right hand, pointing it towards Red.

The Seal resonated light tinged with purple. In Red's horror, Grey's entire body gradually turned translucent… until he was half-visible.

"What are you… what exactly are you?" Red demanded and explanation.

"You should ask that to yourself, Red." Grey immediately snapped. "What are you, exactly?"

"I really don't understand you and your sick mind."

"It's you who is sick! Don't you get it? Don't tell me you think the Seal of Morroc was just for the usage of the person carrying The Criteria?"

"Then explain it to me without those crazy things you keep spouting about!"

"I did already… you just didn't listen."

Silence.

"Hey, Red…" Grey called out to the Stalker. "Do you know those recent murders in Payon?"

"Are you… talking about the murder of the Elite Guards?"

"Obviously…"

"What about it? Is that even relevant to this conversation?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"Why?"

"Because I did it."

**Exactly the same time, inside Prince Kim Yin's Private Quarters, Payon Castle**

Paralyzed with shock and horror, Earl Kennedy le Dresden lost his balance while witnessing his fiancée clamp the Prince's neck with a single hand. What made him even more horrified was the fact that her fiancée is simultaneously fondling the Prince down THERE. His fiancée, none other than Cath le Revaughn, was smiling sickly and demanding the Prince of Payon to beg for his life.

The Earl was at a loss for words as his fiancée continued her unique method of torture. Cath le Revaughn looked pretty much delighted at the sight of the Prince gasping for air.

"So? You still want more of me? Huh?" Cath taunted the Prince, her grip tightening on the royalty's neck.

"Nnghhh…. I… told… you…. pl…" the Prince said, choking due to the hands of the girl she insulted earlier.

"You think you're so special, aren't you? You stupid, good for nothing brat!"

"Ughnnn…. No…. plea….."

"What was that? You want more? Sure!"

"Wait… I'm….. I'm ghaa…"

It took another second before the Heiress of Revaughn realized that her free palm was now soaked with a white, sticky fluid. She remained still for a moment, maintaining her grip on the Prince's neck while studying the trickling fluid in her other palm. Prince Kim Yin continued to gasp for more air, for his senses are becoming number by the second.

"What's this, my dear Prince?" Cath questioned sarcastically. "Don't tell you just climaxed because I fondled your stinking piece of meat?"

"Eahhh… aghhh… I… told… you to… st…."

"You're so pathetic! Look at you! You just finished once, and now you're limp! Even Kennedy can beat that performance of yours anytime in my bed!"

"Argghhh…. Ack… aff… eahh…."

"What was that? You can't last for even two rounds? What a weakling you are! Even Kennedy can hold up with for three straight rounds!"

"Pl…. let…. Mmggghhh…. Ghh….."

"Oh? What? Don't tell me this is your first! Haha! I stole your first with just my palms! Isn't that nice, my dear Prince?"

"I…. I'm… so…."

"Fuck off. You see this? Take a good look at this! THIS is yours, right?"

"Plea….. st….. it….."

"Then take it with you!"

Another slap came echoing across the room… then another… and another… and another. The sound echoing can be compared to gelatine smashed to a cement wall. Cath continued to slap the Prince with her previously soaked palm until it all went dry… most of the release transferred on the Prince's swollen cheek.

"Do that again, and I won't let you live." Cath threatened the Prince, who was now slumped on the beautiful carpeted floor. He was still gasping for air, terribly exhausted from the ordeal he had just suffered under the hands… no, the palms of a female she insulted.

Cath stormed out of the room. Kennedy followed her a few seconds later, still thinking on how the Prince will welcome them again if they ever return to the castle.

**Prontera Castle, inside Commander Hyatt's Personal Quarters**

Taking Cornelia, Malchuz, Onnie, and a few other high ranking personnel on duty, Commander Hyatt personally led them inside his quarters for a talk about the current event s in Prontera. As each invited member found a place to sit down, the discussion started spontaneously.

"First off… how's the condition of the South Gate?" questioned Commander Hyatt to his subordinates. "Is it going to hold another assault from the soldiers of Morroc?"

"Based on the current situation, it will take another three or four frontal assaults on the South Gate before it can be breached." replied an official. "I think it's a good idea if we send a few artisans fix the damages."

"Wouldn't that cost lot from the military's budget?" questioned another official. "I think we should just deploy our troops from the North Gate and have them barricade the area behind the South Gate. That way, even if the soldiers from Morroc break through, they will be facing a massive defence line."

The conversation dragged on like this until another official mentioned the explosion in the west gate.

"Did you all witness that? That explosion was terrible!" exclaimed Malchuz, who was jumping around as if to re-enact how they all reacted during the previous event. "I really wanted to go to the source of the explosion… but I was ga—"

"Ga-gambling!" Cornelia blurted out. "Malchuz and I found a gambling den when we were walking across the street!" she continued, lying to the rest of the members. Onnie chuckled at the pathetic attempt, but kept quiet.

"Also… did anyone feel the "earthquake" that came after it?" asked Hyatt finally. "If my reports are accurate, then I can assume that the shocks were caused by…"

"General Kier, Sir!" immediately answered a guard. "The General rushed towards the scene after seeing the plume of smoke on our way back to the castle." The guard explained further.

"I see… that confirms the reports of the messengers." Hyatt replied. "I wonder what's taking him so long… no one in the world is capable of stopping him in a battle, but he hasn't returned yet. I wonder where he is right now…"

"He's probably in a tavern or somewhere…" answered another official. "My, look at the time! I believe it's time for us to rest, Commander Hyatt."

"R-right… you're all dismissed. Take good care of yourselves, everyone… and see you all tomorrow." he said, concluding the forum.

Everyone went outside immediately, leaving Hyatt alone. Except for Cornelia, that is. She obviously didn't want to leave at all. Sparks were visible in her dreamy eyes, as those orbs focused to meet Hyatt's gentle ones.

"Cornelia…" the Commander murmured under his breath. "Umm…"

"Yes, my munchkin?" the pretty smith immediately answered. "Anything you want to say?" she continued staring at him, as if melting her lover on purpose… on the spot.

"You see… it's kind off… ille—"

"I don't care, Hyatt. I'll sleep with you tonight. You got that?"

"I can't convince you to leave me right now, can I?"

"Then we're on the same page, munchkin?"

"Sigh… right. Just loc—"

"Already done. In fact, you can just take me from here. No one will disturb us at all." Cornelia assured him "For all we know, they could still be listening behind the door." Hyatt doubted.

"Nah, they wouldn't… besides, I only behave like this when I'm with you."

"Beats me… I didn't have any idea that you can be so forceful… and demanding THAT to a man! What have I done, my Lord? What have I done wrong?"

"Just give it up and let's get started."

"That's it… I give up. Get down."

"Don't be so rough, ok?"

"I can't promise that…"

"Don't make me squeal, you idiot!"

"Then behave, munchkin… or else…"

"You're so… you're so…"

"What?"

"Nothing… just… Just take off your clothes! Arrghh… Can't you see I'm totally naked already?"

Elsewhere in the Central Garrison, a neatly combed Arch Bishop and a muscle-bound High Wizard were having a sparring session… with alcohol.

**Omake (Bonus)**

During the explosion in the Commercial District, hundreds of vendors fled for their lives as their livelihood were incinerated by fire and wasted by the firefighter's water tanks. Almost everyone left, except for a single man.

This man was Cornelia's long time buddy, apart from Malchuz, Onnie, or Hyatt. Compared to him however, Cornelia's strength just followed second. He is often reported to have destroyed public property: from lampposts to bathroom fixtures to park benches. This guy was the embodiment of pure, unadulterated power… and not even Cornelia can stop him when he's on the prowl for a certain Information Broker who lives in Aldebaran. He says that he "hates violins", though.

There was once a rumor that this guy was able to punch a guy so hard, he literally flew out of his clothes. No one was able to confirm the said rumor… unless Cornelia saw it with her own eyes.

This guy, who always wore a bartender suit despite not being in a bar, immediately dashed in the line of fire and dove in the flames. He planned to get a special item that both he and Cornelia contributed to build a long time ago…

"Damn… where is it?" the guy dressed as a bartender shouted in frustration. "Where is Cornelia's… there!" he said, after finding the said item.

After grabbing the rectangular shaped item, he immediately ran towards the nearest fountain in the middle of Prontera, and soaked it before it burned to shambles.

"Great… it still works." He sighed with relief. "Let's see… I'll just drop a coin on the slot… and this thing will speak, right?"

The special item then began to talk as if it had a life on its own. "Hello, and thank you for using Cornelia's vending machine service! For a red potion, press 1. For an orange potion, press 2. For a yellow potion, press 3. For a white potion, press 4. For a blue potion, press 5. We do not sell Yggdrassil Berries. If you experience any problems with this machine, please contact Shizuo Heiwajima immediately at…***-***-***. Thank you!"

"Yosh, it still works. Now time for a swing…" the bartender guy said after inserting another coin and pressing 1. Then it spoke again: "Thank you for purchasing a red potion. In order for you to receive the item, please drop another coin and press 2 for a "free" orange potion."

"What the… is thing broken?" the guy scratched his head in frustration. Seconds later, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hey! Thanks for saving my "registered" vending machine, Shizuo-kun!"

"No problem, Cornelia… anytime." The next day…

The headline of Prontera Daily read: Stall 404 FOUND intact after explosion!


	8. Chapter 7

**Psychographics**

Chapter 7:Sharpened Pencils are Perfect Knives

**Abandoned Housing Facility, North of Prontera East Gate 10:30 PM**

Red Viele'au Sylenfeit, the bearer of The Criteria for the current generation of humanity, stood in bewilderment as his former comrade from the Rogue Guild, Grey Emyll Foxx, turned translucent in front of him. Though Grey's features were still noticeable, a thick foggy aura surrounded him.

Then it hit Red. "Wh-what did you just say?" the Stalker said to Grey, his voice cracking. "Y-you're the one responsible for the murder of the Payon Elite Guards?"

"Of course, you slowpoke…" Grey answered sarcastically. "Haven't you made the connection yet? Look at me closely, Red… take a good and long look. What do you see? Hmm?" he went on.

"You… you can't be…"

"I am The Blur."

"No…"

Cold sweat filled the Stalker's body. In front of him now stood the only being responsible for the Elite Guards' gruesome deaths. The Blur. Grey was the thinking monster that only attacks its targets at daybreak with a single, swift killing strike. Over the years, the Stalker's former comrade had gained a reputation… and created his own urban legend.

"How… how long have you been doing this?" Red asked Grey, his breathing getting shallow. "How many people… innocent civilians… no… families… have you broken to the core?"

"Innocent you say?" Grey replied mockingly. "No one is righteous in this world, Red… no, not a single one remains! Even your old man in Morroc isn't as righteous as you believe he is!"

"Did you kill all those people just..."

"Just for fun? Yes."

"You're crazy."

"No. I'm bored."

Silence existed once again between The Blur and the Stalker bearing The Criteria. Red Viele'au Sylenfeit, who now thinks that this conversation was all for naught, decided to draw his trusted weapon and pointed it towards Grey's direction.

Amused by the Stalker's actions, Grey held out the Seal of Morroc even closer to Red. As the Seal continued to glow with purple light, the sigil embedded on it was flashing on and off over and over. The Blur then went even closer to Red, making the Seal come in contact with the Stalker's weapon.

"What are you doing?" Red questioned in a rough, unsettled voice.

"I'm going to make a deal with you…" The Blur answered.

"A deal? Who in their right mind would?"

"If you were some else, you've been dead the moment you saw me. I'm just being lenient, Red."

"I don't need you and your leniency! The next thing you'll say is that you pity me, and I'm not even that low to be pitied upon… especially by you!"

"Pity? That's a laugh… I never felt pity for anyone. If I did, I wouldn't be able to slit their throats and hang them upside down with their hearts in their mouth…"

"How can you… how can you even describe your actions? You're despicable… a plague! You have no idea what life is and how precious it is to everyone!"

"Life? Nothing is permanent in this mortal plane. Life is but a blink of an eye to the gods, and it isn't important at all…"

"Then why kill in the first place?"

"I already told you. I'm bored."

"That's a lame excuse. If you're really bored, then you should have killed everyone instantly."

"That would be a waste for the remaining days I have in me."

"You think of life as a toy?"

"Of course I do. The gods are also the same! They kill people because they can create people too."

"That's not the point."

"You can be easily replaced with anyone, Red. Anyone. It just turned out that you were able to contain The Criteria inside you."

"Stop saying that!"

"Why? Do you really think you're special? Haha… I wouldn't be surprised. You were always considered as the best Stalker in the guild… no wonder it all got in your head…"

"Stop playing around, you sick fuck!"

"Haha… you keep on saying that… but you can't even do anything. All you have is nothingness. You think you can save the world from this war, don't you?

"Of course I do… and I will… even if I have to kill you right now."

"Then why not just kill me outright? You're wasting my time, you know?"

"I am not trained to kill my enemies immediately… I am trained to make them suffer first until they beg to be killed."

"Then our method of living is different. I kill people immediately because they'll scream when I cut them piece by piece. I hate noisy people… like you."

"Let's see you pull a killing strike on me."

"Is that a challenge? But I already told you…"

"You told nothing to me at all!"

"Listen, squirt. I'm going to strike a deal with you… so you better listen to the terms and conditions before you even speak another word."

"Yeah right, who would—"

"I will kill Gin right in front of you… and slice her womb open. Then I'll rip your offspring's heart out of his feeble body."

Unable to reply to The Blur's threat, Red took a step backwards, his weapon still pointing towards the Seal of Morroc. He was now sweating heavily.

"Scared? I was just joking, my friend." Grey told the trembling Stalker.

"You…." Red replied… his voice almost inaudible. "You wouldn't…"

"Aww… you caught me. Well then, you just have to stop me. I hope you're prepared to see your only family murdered right in front of you."

Grey moved even closer towards Red, so close their lips almost touched. He then showed Red the Seal again, and made a sick expression that cannot be described to be human at all. Within a second, The Blur's hand which was holding the seal embedded the solid orb within the Stalker's left breast.

"Aarghhh! Ahhhkkk….. errghhh…." Red gasped, chocking from The Blur's sudden assault. "Damn it… I was careless…"

"I'll be leaving now, since I know your wife's whereabouts… and when I find her, I'll kill her just as how I described it earlier! You got that? So stop me while you can." The Blur said, taunting the Stalker.

"You… you can't possibly know…"

"I have friends too, you know… though they occasionally appear on midnight."

"The Midnight Messenger told you—"

With another sick grin, Grey Emyll Foxx, also known in Midgard as the urban legend that kills people on daybreak… The Blur, immediately jumped to the nearest platform and ran away towards the West Gate's direction, leaving broken rooftops in its wake. The sound shattered glass and falling lumber can be heard within the perimeter where the Blur just passed by.

Left alone in agony, Red Viele'au Sylenfeit clutched his chest, as the Seal of Morroc was now residing within his heart. He gasped for air as he attempted to stand up and follow The Blur before it could kill his family… and the rest of the world with it.

Bathed in the moonlight, Red noticed the marks in his left arm grew blacker by the second, entirely engulfing half of his upper left body. The Seal's power was eating at him with tremendous speed, and the pain it caused made him scream at the top of his lungs. Staggering, Red tried to stand up with all his remaining energy. Breathing heavily, he steadied himself, and strengthened his resolve.

"I must stop him." Red said under his breath. "Lord Marcus can be taken care off after I kill Grey."

Jumping towards another platform, Red Viele'au Sylenfeit, now literally holding the Seal of Morroc within him, ran as fast as he could to follow The Blur… before everything he held dear be lost forever.

The sound of crumbling buildings can be heard as Red followed The Blur's path.

**Payon Castle, 10:32 PM**

Ignoring the commotion from the Prince's personal quarters, Yi Chen, the Royal Butler went towards the Royal Art Room, even after hearing the screaming Prince from behind the quarter's walls.

As he arrived in the Royal Reception hall, Yi Chen motioned for a castle guard and inquired about the whereabouts of his son.

"Have you seen him?" he asked the guard.

"Umm… I saw him enter the Royal Art Room about half an hour ago…"

"That would be enough. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Sir."

Taking a left turn, the Royal Butler soon arrived at the Royal Art Room.

"Sei? Sei, are you here?" said the white haired Butler of the Prince, as he scanned the room. This was the only place where his son would stay whenever he was busy doing chores for the Prince. The room was spacious and brightly lit. Focusing his gaze upon the figure located in the far right end of the room, he called out again.

"Sei…"

The young boy, who was around sixteen, turned his head slowly towards the source of the disturbance. He had long white hair, unlike the short one of his father, and had light-green eyes. He was wearing the trappings of the Royal Painter, but his expression was far from being satisfied. He was surrounded by dozens of giant canvasses, all containing the art he made out of rage. According to his father, the Butler… he really disliked painting and the other arts.

"What is it, honored father?" asked the boy, gloom visible in his emerald-colored eyes. "I'm kind off… busy, you see…" he tried to explain.

"Thinking about HER, again?" inquired his father. "But I already told you she's…"

"I don't care if she's engaged!" the boy snapped back in anger. "I don't care at all! I love her, and I'll take her for myself!"

"Sei… you must understand… that the decision for that engagement was totally unanimous… and your feelings for HER is totally out of the question."

"But… I love her, father! What part of that could you not understand?"

"You always say that…"

"I love her, with all my heart and soul!"

"But does she love you?"

The Royal Painter fell silent. His father was right SHE didn't love him at all. The feelings he had for her was totally one sided. She only cared for that muscle-bound wimp of a High Wizard. If he had expressed his feelings for her earlier, she could have…

"Please… leave me for now, Father…" Sei requested weakly. "I wish to be alone. I'll express my pain in this painting…"

"Very well…" the Royal Butler replied. "I just hope you face the reality of the situation and act like a man…"

There was no reply heard from the Royal Painter. Turning around, the Royal Butler went for the door and shut it tight, preventing any noise from escaping the soundproof room. Sitting at his chair, Sei, the Royal painter commissioned by the Prince, whose paintings adorn the walls of the long and spacious corridor on the way to the royalty's personal quarters… began to mix his dyes.

"I'll take you from him, no matter what…" he scowled as he started painting. "I'll make sure you end up with me… even if I have to kill him."

Splash. Splash. As Sei painted with rage, a single name echoed in his mind… the one name he'll ever hate for taking the girl he loves.

"I'm going to kill you, Malchuz. I'll kill you, for sure."

**Morroc Castle Terrace, 146km from Prontera Castle, 10:33 PM**

After the Midnight Messenger relayed the events of the near future to Lord Marcus and left for another destination, the seventy-something Lord continued to watch the moonlit night with his dark, ebony eyes. He heaved a sigh, releasing his stress a bit.

"The plan has always been in motion… ever since the Midnight Messenger revealed my future when I was still young…" he told himself, shrugging with assurance of victory.

"Without his help, I wonder where I could have gone, though… everyone I managed to be enemies with all crumbled and died according to plan." He continued.

"Even during the time that I have to use my best students as bearers of the Criteria… oh, how they screamed for their pathetic lives… it's a good thing that Red—"

The Lord's thoughts were interrupted by a soldier's sudden entrance. The soldier was panting heavily, obviously exhausted from the trip upwards the terrace.

"What is it, soldier?" the Lord inquired. "Is anything the matter?"

"Yes, Sir! The scouts have spotted two individuals just outside the Southern Morroc Gate!"

"Do you have any idea who they are? Were there any other details?"

"Yes, Sir! It was a young male accompanied by a taller female!"

"What did they look like?"

"They… they looked like a member of royalty… from Prontera."

"Is that so? That's quite… intriguing."

"Huff… huff… that would… that would be all, Sir."

"Anyway, soldier... are you tired? Do you want to rest for a while?"

"If I could use a quick break, yes…"

"Then close your eyes for a while…"

"Ok, if you say so, Sir."

Placing his right hand over the soldier's helmet, the Lord gently caressed the outline of the screws that held it together. His hand then went down towards the soldier's ear, subsequently gripping the soldier's ear and jaw.

Opening his eyes, the soldier realized the situation he was in… a little too late.

The sound of a broken cranium echoed along the walls of the corridor leading to the terrace. Lying on the floor was a soldier. His skull was open and bleeding extensively after being banged on the solid stone wall.

"I have no use for Pronteran spies…" the Lord mumbled to himself, then proceeded to call the attention of the Castle Guards to clean up the mess.

"I wonder… who could those two visitors be?…" the Lord thought. "I knew that nobles would not risk themselves by staying outside… but this is…"

"Sir! A giant explosion was spotted in our scope! It seemed to have taken place within the vicinity of Commander Hyatt's garrison!" a soldier alerted the Lord.

**Prontera West Gate Street, 10:35 PM**

General Kier staggered while trying to find leverage. His knees grew weak from the previous fight with the Stalker-Mage. He had almost died from silence and paralysis, but he was utterly surprised that the Midnight Messenger came by and cured him of his injuries. The misty being however, somehow forgot to restore his strength.

Standing next to a wall along the streets, he secretly wished to end his agony. Being a Sura after all, was a difficult and nerve-wracking job. One must be able to contain the immense strength and fury given by the Holy Spheres.

Trying to sleep, the General squatted down and leaned back against the wall, while his head looking upwards. The night sky was so peaceful… as if a war wasn't happening at the South Gate of Prontera, were the frontlines were. Everything was so clear…the moon, the stars…

And then, the ground shook tremendously.

Though capable of producing such a massive shock comparable to an earthquake, the General trembled at the sheer force that managed to knock him down to the ground.

Earlier, he was able to hear the sound of broken glass and falling timber, as well as the sound of crumbling houses on the other side of the street. He couldn't investigate immediately, for his energy was totally drained.

But this time, having able to rest for a little after the fight with the Stalker-Mage, the General felt energy surge through him as he saw what was happening right in front of him. It was something he had never expected.

Ahead in the distance, within the walls of Commander Hyatt's garrison, was a giant column of light sending out a massive shockwave that crumbled the nearby houses and facilities to dust. The garrison, however, was able to withstand the gigantic explosion, a testament to Commander Hyatt's defense plans. The gigantic white pillar was still shining, and spheres of light, comparable to his own, were floating above the pillar.

The spheres where of three colors… red, blue, and yellow.

Seconds, later, after what seemed like hours, the spheres were jolting out massive amounts of energy.

"Is… this… how the world would end?" the General questioned to himself. "Then I can't stop like this!"

Getting up and running towards the direction of the gigantic explosion, a smile once again grew on his face. The instant rush of adrenalin excited the hell out of him.

"If that's the work of that monkey, then I'm impressed…" the General remarked, comparing the Stalker-Mage's multiple bolt attack earlier to the gigantic sphere-powered explosion. "Who knows what he's been up to… but either way, the Commander's life is in danger!"

The general ran as fast as he could, destroying the obstacles composed of falling debris coming from the shockwaves. His excitement grew more and more as he neared the Commander's garrison.

Another second later, the three colored spheres jolted a giant thunderbolt in a single direction.

Downwards.

**Omake (Bonus)**

**Two years ago, in Aldebaran**

"Hey, Cornelia…" Malchuz waved to his friend. "I want you to meet someone…"

"Who is it? I hope it isn't someone I already know…" the purple-haired smith answered, while sitting on a Ranger's lap. "Where is this person, then?"

"Well, to be accurate… this person is a SHE…" the manly-built High Wizard answered. "I met her in Payon last month, you see…"

"Fascinating…" Hyatt groaned. "Let's see… you managed to grope this one too, right?"

"Heavens, no!" Malchuz protested in response. "Why do you always think that I grope women?"

"Because you like soft things. And women's parts are soft." the smith and the ranger replied together.

"But that's..." Malchuz tried to counter.

"Anyway!~" Cornelia interrupted, her face showing curiosity.

"What is it?" the ranger replied, used to Cornelia's sudden outbursts. "Did anything catch your attention?"

"Yeah… sort off…" Cornelia answered shyly, her face blushing. "I was wondering what happened back there in West Geffen Bridge…"

"You mean during the Fabre Festival?" Malchuz inquired further. "Are you talking about the game that the Genetics and Sorcerers were playing that day?"

"Uhm… y-yeah…" Cornelia answered, while burying her face in Hyatt's chest.

"Care to explain, my friend?" Hyatt requested calmly. "Cornelia seems… quite excited about THAT GAME."

"Well, before I name it, I'll explain how the game works." Malchuz started, his face glowing with delight. "Now…this is how all THAT FUN happens…"

"First, the Genetic summons a Flora on a grid drawn across the bridge. They can summon it anywhere on the grid. The Flora gathers enough solar energy to and gives the Geneticist's backpack enough energy to summon another kind of Flora. Then, the Sorcerer on the other side mind controls a nearby undead from Glast Heim and sends it to the Flora, so it can eat it and the Genetic's backpack, which is filled with energy." Malchuz explained in minimal detail.

"So the purpose of the Flora is to…" Cornelia asked.

"…To kill the attacking undead to help the Genetic that summoned it." Malchuz answered. "Not only that, the Genetic can summon other types such as Geographers, Mandragoras, Dryads, Hydras and Marine Spheres, to add fun and variety. The Sorcerer can also summon various other undead creatures, though they couldn't use the restricted ones such as Dark Illusions, for the public's safety."

"Sounds… interesting." Hyatt remarked. "I could watch them play that game over in Prontera…"

"Yeah… it'll be fun." Cornelia agreed.

"I told you so… you just don't trust me when I AM KNOWLEDGABLE on games like that…" Malchuz replied; his voice obviously frustrated.

"Anyway..." the smith began to ask again.

"Yes, Cornelia?" Malchuz replied.

"What is THAT GAME called? I've been dying to watch it again!" Cornelia asked eagerly, her face covered with a beautiful smile. "What's its name?" Sighing heavily, as if preparing for a great spell, Malchuz finally decided to reveal the name of the game that drove its players to craziness once they started playing it. The people who found this game interesting became geeks… just like those kids who played Duel Monsters of Midgard.

"Plants vs. Zombies." Malchuz revealed finally. For a second, Cornelia drooled.


	9. Chapter 8

**Psychographics**

Chapter 8: Lost in Translation

**Northwest Prontera Street, 800m from Prontera Castle 10:32 PM**

Hiding atop of a tall and abandoned city office, the group consisting of the remaining members of the Stalker Desert Party paused for a break from all the running that they have been doing for quite a while.

The night was still young, and the moon shone brightly in contrast to the blackness of the night. There were no chirping birds, and the sound of the garrison's guards making their final preparations for the next day were the only things audible from their distance. Due to the height of the building the group was staying right now, they were able to overlook the surrounding area of the garrison.

"There's no mistaking it…" mumbled The Vandalizer. "Hyatt's garrison is just ahead. We should take a break from all that running. It's been a long day, and lots of things had happened already."

"Yeah… the guards look pretty busy." Athet replied sheepishly. "The Commander might have issued an order that will be executed tomorrow."

"It's really a drag, huh?" mentioned Mhart. "Look at the events that just happened within the day! Red left us to finish his personal mission in order to end this war alternatively, Gin hasn't found us yet after she decided to stay for a while with Red, we got through the West Gates of Prontera because of an explosion-god-knows-who-did-it, then we get ambushed by that Sura General oh-I-forgot-his-name, and we just made it out alive out there thanks to Aicker!"

"Uh-huh… it's been a long day!" remarked Endzeit with an enthusiastic voice. "We also got to know Seventh's real name and identity, and we saw Aicker's hidden technique! That's a nice start, isn't it?"

"Aicker's still down for the count…" Vince replied to his men. "He really did a great job out there… We should all thank him when he wakes up."

"Yeah… but right now, he's just dead weight…" Mhart added. "Should something dire happen, will we be forced to leave him?"

"H-hey… that's—" Endzeit said, trying to answer the question. "Isn't that just improper? I mean… he saved our ass out there!"

"I know that… Endzeit…" Mhart replied back. "It's just…"

"Calm down…" Athet butted in. "Let the leader decide what to do. Ok?"

Vince, the Vandalizer of Niflheim, kept silent at the thought. If something bad was going to happen, and it endangers the group's survival, it may really be necessary to leave one as a sacrificial lamb. They were, after all… on a mission.

"That wouldn't happen." Vince finally spoke. "If such a time comes upon us, we will solve it to ensure our survival. You all got that?"

The rest of the group exchanged smiles with each other. Their leader was now different from his previous easygoing demeanor. It was hard to imagine that he was the group's clown hours ago, in the middle of Sograt Desert.

"We're all on this mission, guys…" Vince told his fatigued comrades. "Nobody ever said that this was a one-way trip. No one at all. Y'all hearing me?"

"Yes, Sir!" answered the three other conscious members of the group. Aicker was still sleeping, momentarily recovering from his previous fight with General Kier. The said Stalker was still holding on to his precious artifact, snoring like a bear.

"It's time to rest, guys!…" Vince said with glee. "Save your strength for tomorrow so we can—"

Kkkrrrrrsssshh!

The loud sound of falling timber and broken glass was heard near the location of the group, stopping Vince from talking. He was about to dismiss it as another explosion just like earlier, but immediately turned around and looked for the source of the entire ruckus. "It can't be another explosion." He told himself. "Heaven help us… this could be our end for all he knew."

And then Vince saw it.

Within the entire group's line of sight, a translucent figure flew straight at a rooftop and crashed… then proceeded to jump to another roof, repeating the cycle of destruction. The figure was clearly human in form, but the group felt an aura of malice surrounding the translucent being that just passed by them.

The being continued crashing and jumping from rooftop to rooftop until it was able to reach the west gate and exit to the void.

"What was THAT?" asked the entire group to themselves, with the exception of Aicker, who was still sleeping.

"Whatever that is…" Vince said, calmly. "…it wasn't normal. Totally quaint, I must say." he continued.

"Should we… follow it?" asked Athet. "It might be connected with the mission."

"We cannot presume that, Athet." Mhart said. "That thing can be dangerous. We have no information about it at all… and besides…"

"…we were sent here to sabotage the Pronteran defense line." Endzeit continued from his comrade's sentence.

"That thing…" Vince started; his voice in a low tone. "… it was moving way too fast to be human. Its speed will make our walking techniques look like we're wallowing in mud. Apart from that, it was emanating a malicious aura… which was very unsettling… and it was really blurry I didn't—"

Then the thought dawned on The Vandalizer.

"It… that thing… that can't be…" Vince said, his voice becoming mute.

The rest of the group, noticing their new leader's expression and sudden silence, began to question him. For the first time in their lives, they all saw Vince look bewildered and lost, unlike his usual personality that they've grown used to with.

"Did you recognize that thing, Sir?" Endzeit inquired, their leader. "If so, then please tell us." he continued, attempting to break their leader's silence. With a deep sigh, Vince finally answered.

"That thing…could be The Blur."

The entire group took in a gulp and fell silent. They were so silent that Aicker's snoring was audible despite the noise below coming from panicked citizens who had their rooftops broken.

"Isn't The Blur an assassin?" Athet asked. "It could be going out to kill someone. Judging from its speed, it sure was in a hurry."

"Who knows?" Mhart said, shrugging. "It could be The Blur, but what then? It has nothing to do with our mission as far as we know."

"We shouldn't be hasty, though…" Endzeit reminded them. "We need to plan first before we strike. That is our signature as Stalkers."

Nodding in unison, the entire group seemed to reach a unanimous decision of neutrality. No one will follow the being that they assumed was The Blur.

"We've seen a lot today, men…" Vince said as he stretched his arms upward. "Ahh… we really need to rest. We've been drained already! Too bad we don't have the option to set up ca—"

Tp! tp! tp! tp! tp! tp!

The sound of hasty footsteps was echoing from the very same direction where the group saw The Blur come from. The figure they saw this time however, looked REALLY familiar.

"H-hey! Isn't that—" Athet blurted out in surprise. Vince was unable to react at the sight he was now witnessing.

Once again in the group's line of sight, the being that they saw was emanating a radiant, purple aura that made him pretty visible on a moonlit night. Upon further inspection of the being, it was wearing a modified Stalker uniform, and carrying a weapon that Vince easily recognized. The being's arms were covered with dark marks, contrasting it to the fair skin that the being possessed. It had red, flowing, wavy hair that reached its shoulders, and was carrying a bag made out of finely sewn wolf skin tied around his belt.

The group then immediately realized the identity of the being that just passed by them. No one wanted to confirm it, though… until Vince decided to break his silence.

"That was Red, guys…" the Vandalizer calmly told his men. "…and he's follwing The Blur, without a doubt."

They were about to decide to follow their previous leader when they saw Commander Hyatt's forces rushing towards the inner recesses of the fortification. They seemed to be horrified about something they clearly haven't seen before in their entire life, as Athet decided to note that to everyone. "Too bad… Aicker is missing out all the action…" he said, his voice somewhat regretful.

A few more seconds passed when the group heard a deafening scream coming from the garrison behind them. Confirming that the noise did come from none other than Commander Hyatt's headquarters, they were still unsure about the exact location. What they saw next was totally inexplicable that the entire group was glued where they stood. Marveling at the spectacle, Vince and his men decided to move toward it, only to be stopped by a massive shockwave of white energy.

"What the heck is going on here, really?" Vince asked to himself.

"S-sir! Take a look at that!" the group screamed at him, their fingers pointing onto something far away… up above them.

Another second passed by before Vince managed to locate the glowing ball of light that floated above the entire garrison. Unable to move, the group instinctively covered their eyes from the blinding white light emanating from above.

And then, after a few more seconds, a giant pillar of light crashed on the garrison.

**Morroc South Gate, 149km from Prontera, 2km from Morroc Castle, 10:35 PM**

"Are you alright?" a concerned, eighteen year-old noble asked his twenty four year-old fiancée. "Are you hurt somewhere?" the young male questioned further, his voice trembling.

"Don't worry, I'm quite alright." the fair maiden answered quickly to the male, assuring him that she is totally fine. "It was a good thing that my body wasn't damaged earlier… since it would be very bad to offer it to you if that guy managed to overcome me earlier…"

"To tell you the truth, I'm still in shock for what you just did back there… it doesn't look like you at all… it was far from the girl I met years ago. It was…"

"…It was different from the one you love?"

"Yes…"

"Then you don't understand the capacity of women to change their personalities when their pride is at stake. I did that to prove to you that I love you with all sincerity."

"I get it… but what you did earlier to him… is THAT even right?"

"You misunderstood from the very beginning, my darling. I didn't do that just for my pleasure. I did that because I wanted to him to experience pain."

"But… you fondled him down THERE… How do expect me to believe that he was in pain? He was enjoying it, for heaven's sake!"

"Are you feeling jealous because of what I did?"

"I don't know… I don't really understand… maybe because I'm still too young… I have always wanted to… to…"

"You want me all by yourself… right?"

"Yes. Honestly."

"I expected no less from you. Is that how you show your love, my darling?"

"It's the only way I know. Sorry."

"I understand… I went under the same grueling process of growing up, you know?"

"So that's why you're smiling? You're smiling because I'm way too immature?"

"No, I'm smiling because I never saw you think that deep before."

"To tell you the truth, I…"

"What is it, my darling?"

"I… I really want to fuck you right now. I want to fondle your soft breasts and lick you all over. I want to push my manhood within your loins so I can feel better. I want to take you right down to the core. I want to fuck you like crazy because…"

"Because that way, you feel alive… right? By doing that, you feel more human."

"Yes."

"You're so silly. If you wanted to, why not just do it? You're just making excuses, my darling."

"What? You don't mean to say—"

"Take me now, just like before… Kennedy. Make me feel alive as well. The moment you feel it, just do it… but only with me. Ok? I don't care whether it's anytime or anywhere. Just… do it… with me. Only me."

"Oh, Cath… you're... you're really… so soft."

"Stop that… it tickles me!"

"You like it don't you? Tell me you want it, darling…"

"You're such a—"

"What?"

"…"

"H-hey…"

"Stand still Kenny… hide behind the bushes and stay silent."

"W-why? What's wrong?"

"Do you hear it darling?"

"Yes... The troops are coming towards us, Cath."

**Somewhere in Commander Hyatt's Garrison, 10:34 PM**

"Getting tipsy, my friend?" a neatly-combed Arch Bishop asked to a heavily-built High Wizard. "You really can handle that much alcohol, can you?"

"(H-hic!)… Of course! What the (h-hic!) do you think of me?" the High Wizard snapped back, though there was a presence of pain in his voice.

"I know how you feel, boy… I've been there. You're still inexperienced aren't you, Malchuz?"

"It turns out (h-hic!) that way…but now when I think about it…"

"Hmm?"

"How in the (h-hic!) world are you able to drink liquor, Onnie?"

"Got a problem with that? The Freyan Church isn't strict about Arch Bishop's lifestyles… and besides… you didn't even drink REAL liquor! Haha!"

"What the (h-hic!)… you're telling me that—"

"That isn't beer at all, kiddo! You just had a shot of ceremonial mass wine! And guess what? You got drunk! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"What? (H-hic!) You're kidding me aren't you, gramps?"

"Arch Bishops never tell a lie, son. Haha! I can't believe what I'm seeing! A muscular High Wizard getting drunk over a bottle of ceremonial wine? That's just ridiculous! Now wait 'till I tell this to Cornelia!"

"H-hey! You're not (h-hic!) going anywhere, gramps… you WILL stay here."

"And if I disagree?"

"You'll see the face of hell."

"Oh, really now…"

"I'm not joking. (H-hic!) Look behind you."

"What are you talking ab— WHHHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH! Snap out of your drunkenness, Malchuz! THIS is serious."

"I know, gramps… just… run and warn the soldiers. Don't forget the Commander and Cornelia as well."

"Of course I won't forget… I'm not THAT old."

"Just leave this to me… you go on ahead!"

"Yeah… yeah… whatever, tipsyface."

"Uhmm… how many Wraith Dead wimps just spawn?"

"A hundred? No… more like a thousand. This beats playing Plants vs. Zombies in West Geffen Bridge during Fabre Festival."

"How did you know that?"

"I watch festivals once in a while, kiddo."

"Oh… that's just great… (h-hic!)"

"At least the alcohol's wearing out."

"Yeah…"

"Got any plans? How will you kill all the Wraith Dead attacking the garrison? I mean… just look at our pathetic soldiers running for their sorry asses!"

"You sure talk like an old man, gramps…"

"I can hold out on my own, you know…"

"Then you haven't seen me in action… don't you?"

"Why would I?"

"Just watch and learn gramps."

"W-wait… you're going to cast a spell?"

"Shut up, gramps… I'm going to start. Watch how a pro does it."

"You're a showoff… raising your arms like that. Anyway, just start the spell. It's only a matter of time before we—"

"Dia… Omni… Ortho… Misa… Sicel…"

"H-hey! That spell… sounds familiar! I heard that spell back then in Geffen Bridge! During the Fabre Festival… don't tell me you're the—"

"Dach… Anii… Yineh!"

"You… you just chanted… THAT spell? Wh-who are you really?"

"They called me The Grandmaster... though it was pretty much an accident."

"I couldn't believe that a wimp like you could possibly be the— Oh gods…"

"Force of the unrelenting fire orb, bestow power upon me!... Force of the tormenting wind orb, guide my magic!... Force of the hallowing water orb, purify my strike!... Doomsday!"

**Omake (Bonus)**

**Two Years Ago, West Geffen Bridge, Fabre Festival**

"What are they doing?" a pretty, purple-haired smith asked her boyfiend. "I've never seen a game like THAT."

"Beats me…" the brown-haired ranger answered. "Maybe Malchuz can explain THAT game to us… since Onnie is busy with official festival matters."

"Have you seen him? He's not around playing with the Fabres…"

"I heard there were LOTS of Fabres on the other side of the bridge… near the gates of Glast wouldn't go that f—"

"H-hey! Look! Malchuz is on the other side of the bridge! And he's…"

"Oh god, I spoke too soon…"

"He's playing with Fabres?"

"Well, that IS Malchuz, Cornelia. You can't expect anything less from a guy who likes soft things."

"Yeah… you're right."

"Let's check him out over there… I have a bad feeling about this."

"Huh? Why? What's wrong, Hyatt? Hyatt? H-hey!"

"Don't make a fuss. Look ahead. There! Do you see it?"

"Y-yikes! That can't be… a Wraith Dead?"

"Exactly. If the people saw that, they'll panic and the Festival will end for all we know. We don't want that to happen right?"

"Uh-huh… and besides…"

"Malchuz is still there. Damn it, that dork needs some senses."

"Attention all citizens!" boomed a scout "A horde of Wraith Dead has been spotted on the other side of West Geffen Bridge! Please evacuate the premises and head for the Geffen Tower!"

**Meanwhile, on the other side of West Geffen Bridge, near the Gates of Glast Heim**

"You Fabres are sooooo cute! Sooooo soft! Sooooo adorable!" Malchuz prattled, enjoying the festival while he still can.

"Too bad, we'll depart for Aldebaran later. Oh… that would be so sad… isn't that right, my cute little Fabre?" he prattled on.

Since ignorance really is bliss, Malchuz didn't react at first when something touched his right hand… yes, his beautiful, unscarred, and soft hand. He had always wanted to touch soft things with it… It then took another second for the High Wizard to realize that what touched him was REALLY hard. AND PURPLE. Then it finally hit him.

"Oh-gods-it's-a-freaking-Wraith-Dead-who-just-escaped-with-his-friends-from-Glast-Heim!" Malchuz said, freaking out. "It's hard… and purple. I hate purple! Get off me, you lowlife! How dare you touch my hands! YOU…. WILL… FREAKING… PAY!"

Raising his arms, Malchuz began chanting. "Dia… Omni… Ortho… Misa… Sicel… Dach… Anii… Yineh! Force of the unrelenting fire orb, bestow power upon me!... Force of the tormenting wind orb, guide my magic!... Force of the hallowing water orb, purify my strike!... Doomsday!""

A huge, white, glowing pillar engulfed the vicinity of Glast Heim. Thunderings and shockwaves swept across the area, stopping Cornelia and Hyatt from approaching the High Wizard that they were trying to save.

After the gigantic explosion, the main structures that defined Glast Heim was NO MORE, leaving only the Highest entrance intact. The horde of Wraith Dead was nowhere to be found. Malchuz continued ranting, which was so loud, it was heard up to the highest floor of the Geffen Tower.

"Oh-god-what-the-heck-just-touched-me?-All-the-work-I've-done-to-clean!" Malchuz continued to rant in despair.

**After the explosion, Geffen Tower**

Safely positioned on the highest floor of Geffen Tower, Onnie, along with the citizens, witnessed the god-like spectacle from the distance. The citizens were at a loss for words, as what they just saw was, in their words… "Freaking unreal." As the gigantic explosion ebbed, the scenery before them changed… for all of Glast Heim's structures were totaled, leaving only the Dark Church intact.

Onnie, however, was able to remember a chant before the explosion. "That must be a spell, my friends…" he said to the citizens. "… and a very god-like one at that."

"Yeah, I agree!" a male citizen shouted with approval. "The Grandmaster was indeed protecting us!"

"Who?" Onnie asked in confusion. "Who is this Grandmaster that you're talking about?"

"It's the guardian of Geffen!" answered another citizen. "It always protects us from harm"

Onnie clearly remembers the beginning of the chant. "Dia… Omni… Ortho… Misa… Sicel…" he whispered in his head. He had forgotten whatever else followed.

"Did you hear the guardian's voice?" another wild citizen shouted in inquiry. "It said, "Oh-God-Protector-of-Geffen-Please-Deliver-Us-from-this-Plague!" or something between those lines…"

"I agree! I heard that too! It must be the ending chant of the Grandmaster's spell!" replied a young, female citizen.

"All hail the Grandmaster! All hail the Grandmaster!" the people shouted with glee. Onnie thought other wise.

"From now on, we will celebrate the Fabre Festival no more! We will now celebrate the Grandmaster's Blessing Festival instead as a sign of gratitude to the mightiest protector of Geffen!" cried out another citizen.

"You guys…" Onnie remarked. "…no offense, but are you some kind of cult? And if so, what are you called?"

"We are not a cult, technically, Sir… however, we are a collective hive mind that will purge the conspiracies that our governments are plotting! We are simply known as…"

Onnie held his breath. Hard.

"… The Legion of Anonymous!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Psychographics**

Chapter 9: In Total Denial

**Southwest Geffen Flatlands, 8km from Prontera West Gate, 10:40 PM**

A cold breeze brushed the cheeks of a lone female Stalker trudging across the flatlands of Geffen. She had long, auburn hair, and light-blue eyes. She had this mysterious aura surrounding her, as monsters decided to stay away from the path where her fresh footprints litter the soil. Before she was able to enter this area however, she had witnessed a lot of strange things.

Earlier that day, she finally bid goodbye to her one and only lover. Now, she was all on her own, fending fro herself and her would-be son (if she guessed right). A few hours later, she was able to witness an explosion within the western walls of Prontera, a few meters of her previous location near the Culvert's entrance. She decided to leave the area and head towards the flatlands of Geffen, where she sought for SOMETHING very important.

She had also felt ground tremors following the explosion, making haste towards her destination. "It's just up ahead…" she murmured softly.

On her way towards the flatlands, thoughts crossed her mind. She always kept everything to herself, and rarely spoke to anyone… except her lover. "I must not waste his sacrifice." she continued to tell herself over and over.

Another thought crossed her mind as she tiptoed along the rocky path that became a natural bridge for one of Geffen's great rivers. "If my hunch is correct, then a piece of Ancient Material is currently in Prontera…" she whispered in her head. "…I can feel its force from my location earlier."

After reaching the other side of the riverbank, a tremendous shock wave almost caught her balance off and threatened her to fall back to the rocks that littered the riverbank. Looking back at the source of the shockwave, she was able to witness something she never thought would happen again. Seemingly drawn out from a fairy tail, a gigantic white pillar was visible from her current location, making her tremble and worry about the safety of her comrades. "They're still out there…" she whispered, her voice becoming inaudible. "…they're still risking their lives just for the mission's success. That's why… I can't let them down."

Reaching her destination, located at the lowest point of Geffen's secluded flatlands where a small, pure spring of blood resides, she began to prepare herself for an ordeal that will highly endanger her life as well as her unborn child. "I apologize gravely in advance, my dear offspring, and the same apology goes out to you, my love." she finally said before performing her suicidal ritual.

"I invoke the spirit of this bloody spring…" she began to chant, her voice remaining highly inaudible to anyone. "… Grant me audience, as I seek thy help."

The bloody spring glowed eerily while it swirled into motion. A small dark void was visible at the center of the spring, and another minute passed by before the woman who invoked the spirit heard a voice coming from the void itself.

"I am the spirit guarding this bloody spring." the entity replied from within the void. "What is it that you desire, human?" it questioned further.

Thinking for a moment, the woman finally answered. "I wish to claim ownership to one of the Cursed Blades of Midgard."

"Is that so? Are you really sure about your wish?" the entity asked for confirmation. "The price you'll pay will be very steep. Is that what you really want?"

"I have thought about this a thousand times, before even invoking your presence. I know of what I speak, and I am ready for any consequence… even if my own life is involved."

"A satisfying answer, human. I shall now tell you the price for this wish of yours. You may not decline once you decide to accept the Cursed Blade."

"I understand completely. Please name your price."

"I shall curse thee to be the sole wielder of the blade you wish for. You will live a long, miserable life, and will die a slow, painful death. You will be able to use the blade's power when need be, but in doing so, your soul will never reach Valhalla, but remain in Hel instead."

"…Do you… have any other terms?"

"You are quite, frank. Humans often accept any of my conditions. In doing so, they forget something very essential."

"…They… forgot to ask?"

"Yes. Humans gain intelligence just by asking. And by gaining intelligence, humans gain understanding."

"I… I understand your point…"

"You seem pretty meek. What is your name, my fair lady?"

"Gin… Sylenfeit."

"I shall remember your name. And since you've managed to gain my interest, I shall ask you a lighter price."

"Please, do… for I promised to meet my husband in Asgard someday. I couldn't do that if I remained in Hel."

"I see… then I shall ask of you…"

Gin waited for the price that the spirit wanted. Her heart skipped a beat when the spirit finally replied and ask of her… Nothing."

"What?" Gin asked in calm surprise. "You mean… you…"

"Yes, human. You shall have the Cursed Blade, Tyrfing… for free."

"I… understand. Thank you, Great Spirit... I'm really…"

"Surprised? No worries, human. I have no use for a blade, after all."

"I see…"

"Just an advice, though."

"What is it?"

"Do not run away from your fate. Overcome it."

"I have no intention of running away."

The spirit of the bloody spring left without hesitation, obviously satisfied by the female mortal's answers. Gin stepped back from the spring's edge, holding a slim, straightedge blade where sacred lettering was inscribed. Satisfied of her transaction, she decided to leave and head back towards Prontera, in order to assist the Desert Team. But something made her stop.

Hearing the sound of breaking tree branches, she felt a malicious aura approaching her. It was coming towards her with tremendous speed, faster than any Stalker's walking techniques. She could see the outline of red, glowing eyes from the distance, though she wasn't able to distinguish who or what it was.

Then it disappeared.

Though confused, Gin continued heading towards Prontera as fast as she could. She was about to enter the forest when a voice came in from behind her. Turning around, she found a familiar face smiling at her, waving at her and calling her name.

"Gin! How are you? It's been a while, isn't it?" said the voice that came from a man in his late twenties. "Are you alright? Why are you alone here?" the voice continued.

"I'm on a mission, you see…" Gin replied to the familiar face. "And I'm really in a hurry…"

"Can't you stay with me for a while? I wanted to show you something."

"You're really weird, you know? Just show it to me. Ok?"

"It isn't here; sadly… it's somewhere far, far away."

The familiar face approached Gin slowly, with a smile growing slowly on its face. Gin instinctively walked closer to the being in front her, since it was such a long time since they saw each other. This was her husband's childhood friend, who disappeared shortly after her husband was given The Criteria. Her husband didn't say anything about this being's departure, and always kept silent about the matter. Gin had always wondered why, but she never questioned her husband's motives.

"What is it with you, Grey?" Gin asked the person smiling in front of her, who was now holding her hands, caressing it with such care that she couldn't help but blush. "What is this thing that you wished to show me?"

"I want to show you something nice, Gin…" Grey spoke with his calm, soothing voice.

"Yes, I know… so please stop playing around. What is it that you wish to show me?"

A sick grin once again covered Grey's face. Then he finally answered…

"…Death."

**Northwest Prontera Street, 800m from Prontera Castle 10:40 PM**

After the dust had settled from the catastrophic explosion in Commander Hyatt's Garrison, the remaining members of the Desert Party decided to regroup. Transferring to another nearby structure, the group noted that the building somehow survived the explosion, as compared to the structures below it that simply crumbled to dust.

The people below were in a state of panic, for they were shouting and running about in the aftermath of the explosion. "Normal citizens will really think it's the end of the world after seeing an explosion THAT big." Vince mentioned to his comrades. "So how do we go about the situation, guys? I need your opinions before I make a decision."

"First of all…" Athet began, his voice trembling. "… there is no point of spying anymore."

"I get your point, Athet." Endzeit replied, his voice getting lower. "Apparently, there are no more buildings to hide into, no citizens to blend in with, and no information to be gathered at all…"

"That's because everyone's panicking." said a voice behind the group.

"Oh, you're finally awake, Aicker…" Mhart blurted out immediately. "Did you have sweet dreams?" he went on, teasing him.

"Nah…" Aicker answered back. "That rarely happens. Most of the time, I get nightmares about Prontera getting destroyed in a giant explosion… or something like that…"

"Heh… then look around you, Aicker." Vince suggested his comrade.

What he saw next made him weak at the knees. Trying to comprehend what he just saw was just like teaching advanced ancient magic techniques to a six month-old baby. It took him another second to say something that alerted the entire group.

"This is… the Doomsday spell." Aicker said calmly while stepping back as he marveled in shock of the destruction around him. "I'm not dreaming aren't I?"

The Stalker-Mage couldn't believe what he was seeing. The buildings surrounding them were totally reduced to rubble, and surrounding the garrison outside was a crater approximately 800m in radius. Only the Commander's garrison remained intact miraculously. "It was really built to last… even in an explosion THAT large." Aicker thought to himself.

"Do you want me to break your Elemental Sword, then?" taunted Vince. The thought of his trusted weapon being broken immediately brought Aicker back to his senses. "We could use it as firewood when the ti—"

"This is the Doomsday Spell, guys…" Aicker narrated calmly. His comrades noticed his nervousness as he decided to tell them something he definitely knew. "It's a technique of the gods that has been sealed away for millennia."

"So we just witnessed a long-forgotten magical spell?" Athet inquired. "And you just mentioned that this was a spell from the gods themselves… Does that mean that a god is nearby?"

"No. That's not it, Athet. Aicker seems to know something about that explosion."

"Continue, Aicker." urged The Vandalizer. "Explain to us what just happened, if you may…"

Nodding in agreement, Aicker relayed the information he knew about the Doomsday spell. After hearing the facts and the staggering truths behind it, no one was able to speak for a while, until Vince decided to break the awkward silence among them.

"So you're saying that…" Vince began with a deep voice. "… this spell was sealed by the gods millennia ago, but it was somehow accessed by the Grim Librarians of Juno? And in a freak accident three years ago, the information was leaked to a wandering wizard? How in the world did all of that happen? And you're also saying that this extensive damage to life and property is nowhere near a fraction of the original spell?"

"The Grim Librarians became careless during their maintenance of Juno's floatation mechanics." the Stalker Mage answered. "In reality, the Doomsday spell is capable to wipe out two continents."

"That's crazy…" Endzeit remarked, gulping. "But it all happened right in front us. It was way too fast that we weren't able to react."

"Do you have any idea who this wizard is?" Mhart inquired to the trembling Stalker. "Maybe we can use that spell for this mission."

"Nobody knows…" Aicker immediately answered. "The people of Geffen however, attribute the Doomsday spell to The Grandmaster, who is their city's mightiest guardian."

"Then there's no other way…" Vince said with finality. "We will assault the garrison now while they are unprepared."

Nodding in unison, the Desert Party prepared their equipment and supplies and separated to surround the garrison in five directions. Placed properly on five points, the formation can be compared to that of a star.

Using the confusion to their advantage, Vince decided to attack now and steal what they came here for, in order to end the war as easy as possible. After firing a flare to signal the start of the assault, The Vandalizer dived towards the panicking infantrymen along with the Stalker-Mage, the Illiterate Bookworm, the Food Tester, and the Jamming Beast. There was total chaos inside the garrison, as soldier after soldier dropped one by one under the deadly blows of the Desert Party members.

"This feels weird!" Vince yelled at his comrades. "This is way too easy!"

"It certainly feels like a trap, Sir!" Endzeit answered back after killing another soldier. "I don't see their leader anywhere!"

"He could be hiding inside the fortification!" Mhart blurted out as he threw another soldier in the air after breaking its neck.

"Gentlemen! Fall back after five minutes! There's something weird about this garrison! Head straight to the fortification at once!" Vince ordered his men with a booming voice.

Nodding again in unison, the Desert Party continued the one-sided massacre of the garrison soldiers, making a pool of blood that was comparable to a "mythical" spring of blood somewhere in Geffen. Vince and his gang had no problem facing the infantry at all, and were really surprised at the "simplicity" of the mission.

"I expected better than this, actually…" Aicker remarked after burning a soldier to a crisp. "We could use some entertainment…"

"Damn it… we really look like the BAD GUYS, huh?" Athet remarked. "So much for being nice…"

"Kill them first, and we'll ask questions later! We have no other choice even if this is not our style!" The Vandalizer commanded, his voice filled with resolve. "Just kill them! They are simply collateral!"

The battle waged on until only about a hundred out of a thousand soldiers remained standing. The smell of blood reeked in the air, making some of the soldiers pass out. Some managed to run away at the sight of dead bodies. Vince and the other members decided to not follow the retreating soldiers as a little… sign of respect.

The group was about to proceed towards the inner fortifications of the Commander's garrison, but something stopped them from pressing forward. Just before they reached the fortification's entrance, a giant wooden structure flew towards them. Dodging it effectively, the wooden structure smashed straight to the fortification's entrance, preventing them from further entry.

Looking for a possible explanation for what just happened, the group instinctively turned their heads around… only to find a person who they had just met earlier. Aicker Phalanx, the Stalker-Mage Extraordinaire, was now trembling, cold sweat coming from his brows to his chin. "It can't… it can't be…"

"Y'all done playing, monkeys?" a heavily-trained Sura asked the group. "It seems like you haven't finished your mission yet… mind if I join in?

"There's… there's something different about him." Aicker warned his comrades. "Be careful."

"How come he's not paralyzed or even injured?" Vince gasped in disbelief. "We all saw what happened to him earlier, right? So how the heck did THIS happen?" he continued, pointing his finger towards a hulking abomination who was visibly irritated by their presence. Cornered, the group had no choice but to fight.

"It's payback time… monkeys." the hulking Sura said with a smile. "This time, however… you're all going to be minced meat."

While all of this was happening, a certain misty being accompanied by two ravens was chuckling to itself as it sat atop a tall structure that somehow survived the cataclysmic explosion minutes earlier.

"Look at them, my ravens…." it said with a warm voice. "Aren't they fun to look at? Those humans can kill without even thinking! Hahaha! Look at them dance with blades and pierce each other's innards till they die from their wounds! Look at them fall! Look at them as they cry in pain! Look at them as they call out their mother's names before they die! Humans are really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really fascinating!"

After calming itself, the misty figure disappeared into the night, leaving only a small trace of smoke where it once was.

**Inside Payon Castle's Royal Art Room 10:42 PM**

Yi Sei, the Royal Painter and son of the Royal Butler Yi Chen, was currently painting out of rage when a realization dawned at him. He was not painting abstractly, nor was he painting using a contemporary style for a portrait, unlike his common themes before. He dropped his paintbrush, looked for a comfortable chair, then sat and leaned on it. He then sighed heavily as he stared on the room's ceiling.

"What the hell… is happening to me?" he asked to himself. A train of thoughts passed by his mind, each thought focused on one single individual.

"It's her again…" he murmured. "Why can't I forget her beauty? Her heavenly smile? Her allure?" he questioned in agony.

Easing himself up, he then turned and faced his paintings. All of them can be considered works on par with the masters, but somehow, he didn't like exhibiting them in front of people. He loved his paintings, but he didn't consider them as art. He wouldn't sell them, even if someone offered him a large sum of zennies. "They may not be paintings, but they're still a part of my personality." he reminded himself. "No one will take them away from me…"

Calmly, Sei went to the room's door and locked it shut. He then returned to view the paintings born out of his rage and insanity for a certain woman.

Finally focusing on one painting, he took it out of its stand and placed it near his comfortable seat earlier where he can see it clearly.

"You look… very pretty today." he said with a soothing voice towards the canvas in front of him.

"I really… I really love you. Did you know that?" he went on. As if he was confessing to a real woman, Sei walked towards the canvas and held it in his arms.

"I love you very much, really!" he said with glee and frustration. "No one else will take you away from me!"

Sei then held the canvas on front of his face, bringing it closer to his eyes.

"Why? Why do I find myself painting you?" he asked the canvas with deep thoughts surging in his mind. "Why do I yearn for you like this?"

"I… I want to be happy, too…" he finally whispered.

Sei decided to leave the canvas in its previous position, and returned to his comfortable chair. He sat down and leaned on the cushion, slightly arching his back. The Royal Painter stared at the beautifully-painted canvas as his mind was filled with thoughts of love for HER.

Reaching a threshold, Sei decided to cross the line tonight.

Sei immediately undid the buttons that held his robes together. Throwing his royal trappings aside, he finally removed every last bit of his clothing and went back to his personal throne earlier.

Feeling the urge to find release, Sei was unable to hold back any longer. As he felt his manhood stiffen, he decided to stare at the painting in from of him even more.

Thoughts filled his mind as he continued stroking himself while looking at the painting. Thoughts flooded his imagination. Thoughts about her, her beauty, her simplicity, her body, her aura, her sensuality, and her name.

Panting heavily as he continued the movements of his hand, his eyesight shifted towards the ceiling, and stared at its expanse. He instinctively closed his eyes and began to breathe heavier.

As his temperature rose, every inch of his body was feeling a forbidden sensation. Moving his hand faster across his shaft, he kept on moaning.

Then he called out her name over and over… as if there was no tomorrow.

He was now breathing through his mouth to keep up to his hand's pace. His body was growing numb with pleasure, and he didn't want to stop so soon.

He kept going faster.

As he felt a jolt of pleasure surge throughout his body, his mind told him to stop. Looking at his pale hands, he began to wonder. "Humans are really just animals, right?"

Sei then gazed at his abdomen, where a white, sticky secretion was sprayed all over. He took some of it and rubbed it across his shaft.

"Oh, god… it really… feels… so good…" he whispered to himself.

Feeling that his manhood was still stiff, he decided to lean back even more and continued to stare at the painting. Up and down his hand went on, as he told himself…

"I can… still… go on… for another… round…"

As his hand went faster and faster and faster, a greater jolt of pleasure surged through his entire body, making his hips and toes numb.

"Oh, god… I…. just… did it… twice…"

Unbeknownst to him, a single individual was watching him all along. With eyes filled with shock and bewilderment, it instinctively placed its fingers inside its mouth, moaned silently, and stroked itself as it watched the events through a hole in the room's wall.

Then a loud knock came from behind the individual's locked door.

"This is Yi Chen, Princess Shi Yin." said the Royal Butler from behind the door. "The Prince Kim Yin wants to see you immediately."

Changing her voice back to normal, the Princess notified the butler…

"I'm… coming…"

The sounds of footsteps leaving behind the door was all the Princess needed to finish her "business".

Looking at her hands with a little shock and amazement, she then went to her private washroom and cleansed herself of impurities.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Payon, a misty figure appeared in front of an abandoned village. It smiled as it neared a tavern, where its ravens decided to stay.

After opening the tavern's door, the misty figure found someone inside… someone very familiar to it.

It smiled sickly all over again, this time it tried to stop itself from laughing. "My, my, my..." it greeted the individual inside the tavern. "If it isn't you, my friend…"


	11. Chapter 10

**Psychographics**

Chapter 10: My Rusty Faith in Humanity

**Southeast Payon Forest, 7km from Payon Castle, 10:43 PM**

As the Midnight Messenger entered the dilapidated tavern where his ravens decided to rest, he was "surprised" to see someone he knew. He knew the person in front of him so well before, that he decided to punish him 3 years ago.

"Doing fine aren't you, my friend?" the Messenger asked sarcastically "It's been a while since I last saw you… in Juno."

The person that the Messenger was referring to was hidden behind a stack of giant tomes. Only its hood was visible due to the lack of lighting, but the Messenger was able to make out what he saw in the dark.

The person, finally noticing the Messenger's arrival, it left the book it was reading, then stood up and walked towards the misty figure. It then removed its hood and stared at the Messenger face to face revealing that its left eye was blind.

"Fuck you, Odin. Fuck you." the person said to the Messenger. "You… crazy fuck for a god!"

The misty figure laughed terribly at the person's "warm" greeting. Staring right at him was another male, blinded on the left eye. The man's voice was totally garbled. He had long, dark locks that were in disarray due to lack of self-care.

"You're reaction is pretty normal, for a human…" the Messenger started. "I'm really surprised that you recognized who I really am…"

"You're still messing around humanity's future?" the blind man questioned Odin. "Have you got nothing better to do in Asgard?"

"Apparently…"

The man clenched its fists, about to give the god in front of him a proper beating. But he held back his rage as he remembered that no weapon except those created from the Ancient Material, the Promeon, could damage a god.

"You seem pretty healthy…" the god told the blind man jokingly. "You know, if you kept staring at me like that, I may be forced to kill you instantly… Eric, the Fallen Grim Librarian of Juno."

The god's words cut through the blind man's heart. The name he had just heard was his own, a name he tried his hardest to forget. He didn't have to end up like this… starving to death and dying slowly, as well as losing his sanity due to lack of human contact.

"You were once the greatest Grim Librarian of Juno, Eric…" Odin narrated likewise in a mocking voice. "Yet you did something VERY wrong that displeased me… no, all of the gods in Asgard."

"Displeased all of the gods?" Eric, the ex-Grim Librarian snapped back, his voice filled with rage. "Humanity is displeased with all of the gods! While every single human being toils the soil, you just sit around and watch, play around with our lives and affairs, and kick us to our graves when we expire! What kind of gods are you? Huh?"

"Humans are my toys, Eric…" Odin confessed to the blind ex-librarian. "We created all of you as our servants; is it not obvious to humanity? Your kind will never be equal to ours, even if you resist!"

"Fuck you. All of you. Someday… all of the gods will be annihilated, and my fate shall be avenged."

"Oh ho ho… that's quite "troubling", puny human. I'm still having fun with your kind… because you're all so interesting to bend until you break."

"What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing much… I just finished summoning a horde of Wraith Dead inside Commander Hyatt's garrison…"

"You're really crazy…"

"It depends on your definition of crazy, though."

"Fuck you."

"Haha… if you just saw how those soldiers ran for their sorry lives, you'll laugh your hind legs off! But…"

"But what?"

"Somebody was able to stop my summoning spree… and I'm quite amused."

"Who is it? Ha! At least a human can stop you from having fun!"

"On the contrary, I still am having fun, Eric… but that human who stopped me, he used a long-forgotten and SEALED spell. I find it surprising that a human can execute that spell with such magnitude…"

"You… you can't possibly mean…"

"Yes, a human was able to use the Doomsaday Spell for a quarter of its original power."

"Finally… humans are able to harness the spells of the gods…"

"It's clearly your fault, Eric… do you get it now?"

"My fault? My only fault was to give humanity knowledge and understanding!"

"I told you that humans and gods are NOT equal. Doesn't your insignificant brain understand that? If it weren't for you, the Doomsday spell will still be locked up inside the Library of Thoughts in Juno's depths!"

"I feel no remorse in leaking out that spell to the world… if it will stop crazy gods like you."

"Haha… fascinating. Anyway, I didn't come here just to chat with you. I come bearing news, valuable news…"

"Is it about my daughter? How is she?"

"Slow down, Eric… your daughter is still in Payon… and she's engaged to a High Wizard."

"Engaged eh? I wouldn't mind that… who arranged the engagement then?"

"Your family originally lived in Payon right? So the Royal Family settled the matter."

"I have no qualms about that. What else is there?"

"Haha… once you know who your daughter's would-be husband is… you'll jump around with joy."

"Who? Who is it?"

"He's a High Wizard… a heavily-built one, I must say. Quite rare…"

"Tell me!"

"Your daughter's would-be husband can execute the Doomsday spell."

"You're joking…"

"No, why would I? If I wanted to joke around, then I'll just take your remaining eye and put in my eyesocket!" Odin said, revealing his left blind eye.

**Southwest Geffen Flatlands, 8km from Prontera West Gate, 10:44 PM**

"Wh-what?" Gin asked Grey, her voice filled with surprise? "You can't possibly…"

"Of course, Gin. I will kill you… and your offspring as well." Grey revealed to the pregnant, female Stalker. "Now!"

Immediately turning translucent, Grey licked his fingers one by one, preparing to savor his next kill. His eyes kept track of Gin's movements… so even if she managed to execute a surprise attack, he will ALWAYS be able to counter.

Holding Tyrfing in her hand, Gin pointed the Cursed Blade towards Grey. "I… I really can't believe what I'm seeing." she mumbled under her breath.

"Surprised? Even your husband was!"

"What? Did you just—"

"I decided to end his suffering a little while ago…"

"You can't possibly—"

"Kill him? Not yet… I just gave him back what really belonged to him."

"You… monster!"

"I AM THE BLUR, after all… sweetie."

"What did you do to my husband? Answer me!"

"Hmm… how do I explain it simply?"

"Just say it! Then I'll kill you afterwards!"

"I like women like you who can stand up for themselves… most of your kind are pretty delicious… especially when I make them weak in bed…"

"Quit fucking around, and tell me! What did you do to him?"

"I jammed the Seal of Morroc inside his heart!"

"No!"

"Haha! Sooner or later, the seal will eat him up since he is the sole bearer of The Criteria…"

"How… how could you? He trusted you so much!"

"Trust? What do gain from other people's trust? Nothing!"

"You… sick animal…"

"What? You're going to kill me? Let's see you try!"

"If I have to, then I'll do it for my husband! No, for our dignity!"

Gin finally struck Grey with the Cursed Blade Tyrfing, but as The Blur, Grey was able to dodge the female Stalker's blow.

"You made a great choice! You knew Tyrfing was made out of Promeon, so you can even damage beings like me… or better yet…"

"…the gods…"

"Yeah, but if you want to kill me… you need to hit me. And if I hit you first, you're good as dead."

Without another word, Grey, The Blur, immediately swooped down towards Gin and aimed for her rotund belly. Gin moved as quickly as she could to block the incoming assassin, but something came in between her blade, and her assailant's hands.

It took another second for Gin to realize what was in front of her.

After crushing Grey's hands and tearing his right arm off, the being then turned towards Gin. Pushing her back was a man with red, flowing hair. He looked extremely familiar to Gin, but something about the man felt awkward. He was emanating a purple aura and his skin was now totally black. Gin's entire world almost crumbled upon hearing the man speak.

"Gin, my love… I'm sorry. I was careless…" the man said to her, tears flowing out of his glowing red eyes. "I'm about to become a sacrificial lamb…"

"Red! No! Wait!"

That was all that Red Viele'au Sylenfeit, the bearer of The Criteria, now bound with the Seal of Morroc, needed to hear. As if chanting a dark prayer, Red's body turned into a hulking behemoth but retained his normal size as a human.

The creature standing in front of Gin was no longer her husband, even though it still noticed and acknowledges her as his wife. The dark-skinned creature was covered with a red mane, and its eyes were glowing in deep crimson. It continued mumbling to itself, reciting prayers in sacred language.

"See? What did I tell you?" Grey told Gin mockingly. "You're husband is now The Divider, the same holder of The Criteria…"

"No…" It was the only word Gin could say.

"It's only a matter of time before The Divider turns this world into a living nightmare…"

"No…."

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Finally! The Divider is awake! The premature form of the Great Demon Morroc is finally awake!"

"Noooooo!"

**Inside Commander Hyatt's Garrison, Prontera Castle, 10:45 PM**

After hearing a great, thundering noise accompanied by an earthshaking tremor, Cornelia decided to check outside her boyfriend's quarters to see the one and only probable cause of the explosion that ALMOST ruined her private business earlier with Hyatt. Looking outside the inner fortification's window, Cornelia stood in shock and rage. Hyatt came in behind her after a little while, and embraced her around her stomach.

"He did it again? Didn't he?" Hyatt sighed with frustration. "Who would have thought?"

"That… that idiot!" Cornelia shouted with rage, her arms flipping around, almost punching Hyatt's face.

"Take it easy, munchkin…"

"But… but look at THAT! There is BLOOD, BLOOD EVERYWHERE!"

"Malchuz wouldn't kill innocent civilians or MY soldiers, Cornelia…"

"But what if he's drunk?"

"Look closely!"

"Huh?"

"The soldiers down there are dead due to stab wounds! If Malchuz used the Doomsday spell all over again, then there must be a reason! But… the Doomsday spell kills the undead ONLY! Humans will just be drained of their energy, and structures will crumble to dust within the radius of the explosion!"

"I… I know that…. Sorry, munchkin."

"You're jumping to conclusions, Cornelia… That's why you and Malchuz never got along quite well."

"Right… It's my fault, right?"

"Nope. It's his fault."

"Huh?"

"He likes soft things way too much. That's why I made sure that my garrison was HARD enough to survive his god-like technique."

"Oh… right. Thanks for reminding me. I'll go and kill that idiot later."

"Let's go outside. I can see General Kier from here…"

"He's… fighting five Stalkers at once? Shouldn't we go to his location and help him?"

"He can handle those Stalkers on his own, as far as I know. He's not my general for nothing."

"Then where do we go?"

"To Malchuz. Onnie is with him as well."

"Right. Let's go."

Somewhere in the garrison, a heavily-built High Wizard and a neatly-combed Arch Bishop were both panting heavily after running for their lives as the Doomsday spell was cast. Hiding in a bunker where the visitor's equipment and personal effects were kept for safety, they soon realized that the rooms' temperature got hotter than usual. Looking behind them, they were shocked to find their baggage earlier this afternoon to be glowing.

"That's… Cornelia's… No…." Malchuz said, his voice obviously alarmed. "No… it can't…."

"What is THAT thing, Malchuz?" Onnie questioned about the glowing piece of metal that was now glowing even more.

"That's… Ancient Material…" Malchuz explained, losing his breath. "Cornelia found it in a dungeon located near Payon…"

"Ancient Material? You mean the Promeon? The only material that can damage the gods?"

"Yes… exactly…"

"What the heck is your friend planning to do with it?"

"I… have no idea."

"Huh?"

"The only thing this glowing metal owed me is traveling fee."

"Traveling fee? Why would it? Don't tell me. —"

"I carried it on my soulders from Payon Forest up to Sograt Border until you found us."

"I… I feel so sorry for you…"

"Really? That's something new, gramps… but still, thanks for feeling sorry once in a —"

"I'm not sorry for you carrying THAT thing! I'm worried about your future!"

"Huh? Why?"

"The moment you touch Promeon with your BARE HANDS, you get exposed to deadly radiation!"

"Radiation? I don't see any radiation—"

"You dunce! Radiation is invisible! It might have infected you!"

"W-wait, what? No!"

"And how can you be so sure? Huh?"

"Take a good look!"

"Huh? What are you… oh right…"

"I'm wearing gloves. Just like you all of you do. I take care of my lovely hands, you know?"

"Turns out your weird habits really saved you."

"You got that right, gramps. Anyway…"

"What?"

"Aren't we going to help General Kier out there? He's fighting with those Stalker dudes… That looks pretty much an unfair fight."

"Nah… he can handle himself. He can take the entire army out if he wished too."

"Oh really… I want to see him try to block my Doomsda—"

"He'll kill you before you can even complete the first line!"

"Nah, he cant… with these muscles of mine? I'm invincible!"

"Yeah… so invisible, you ran for your sorry ass from those Stalkers."

"I won't listen to an old bishop who can't even cast a healing spell on time."

After a few seconds of "debating", the bunker's door flew open, ripped from the foundation. Running towards Malchuz was a purple-haired smith, guillotine axe in hand, and wearing a maniac's smile.

"Oh… thank heavens, we're saved!" Malchuz exhaled in relief.

"What do you mean "saved"? Huh?" Cornelia snapped back in disagreement.

"You're not… going to save us from those Stalker dudes?" the High Wizard asked in confusion. Onnie took this opportunity to sneak past Cornelia and went to report to Commander Hyatt immediately.

"That old—" Malchuz cursed under his breath.

"Listen here!" boomed Cornelia. "Listen… very… carefully!"

"Huh? What in the—"

"I'm only going to do this ONCE, so don't get the WRONG IDEA!"

"What are you talking ab—"

Cornelia dove immediately where Malchuz was located. Sprawled on the floor, the pretty smith carefully placed the Guillotine axe as close as she could towards Malchuz's neck.

"What are you doing, Corn?" Malchuz gasped, trying to unpin himself from the floor. His beautiful hands couldn't move, crushed under Cornelia's single hand. Her free hand was now holding a sharp axe that she ONLY uses to kill any boss that disturbs her.

"Keep quiet! Be still!" Cornelia shouted back.

"Don't!" Malchuz's scream was muffled; closing his eyes, the last thing he saw was the moment Cornelia lunged towards him and…

There was silence between the two of them. It took Malchuz to realize that something SOFT was touching his lips. Another second passed and Malchuz opened his eyes. The very sight he saw almost drove him to insanity.

Malchuz's beautiful and soft hands moved on its own, and grabbed the person nearest him at the moment. Surprisingly, that person didn't seem to resist at all.

Another second passed and Malchuz's lips weren't still breaking away from Cornelia's. It felt pretty odd for the High Wizard, as his friend would NEVER do this. Completely lost in thought, his hands felt their way up towards the smith's head.

"No wonder you're always full of rage…" Malchuz thought. "… you're head is… pretty small compared to your other proportions. I never noticed that." He went on thinking. Four. No, Five seconds as their lips was still in contact, Malchuz stroked the hair of the woman he grew up with traveling the expanse of Midgard.

"I think… this IS a dream…" Malchuz thought. "This can't be happening! Hyatt will be furious…"

Their lips finally drifted apart as a voice came in from the door. It sounded pretty familiar to both of the two people who lay sprawled on the floor.

"Cornelia…" Hyatt called out. "What are you doing?" he questioned calmly, showing his curiosity at the event he just witnessed. Onnie was behind him, laughing insanely. "Oh… Hyatt. I was just…" Cornelia stammered.

"Yeah… I saw everything. Even though you told me earlier that you will do that, I still am surprised! Haha!"

"Thanks for understanding, munchkin… I was just… raising his morale!~"

"Well… he quite deserved it." Hyatt concluded. Malchuz's eyes were now blank.


	12. Chapter 11

**Psychographics**

Chapter 11: How Does A Magnet Work?

**Morroc South Gate, 149km from Prontera, 2km from Morroc Castle 10:50 PM**

Fleeing from the incoming guards, the Earl of Dresden and the Heiress of Revaughn decided to head east of their location, towards the Sograt Desert. Kicking up dust as they flee, the couple hid in a cavern between the rocky edges of a nearby hill.

"Are the guards still pursuing us?" asked Cath le Revaughn asked her fiancé, the Earl of Dresden. "I'm now beginning to doubt our decision to warp here in the first place."

"We came here for a purpose, my darling…" replied Kennedy le Dresden while keeling over the cavern's entrance to check if the guards are still in pursuit.

"A purpose… right. We need to talk to him immediately." Cath calmly answered; her breathing somewhat shallow.

"You mean Lord Marcus Brifon, right?"

"Yes… but I doubt that he'll grant us audience."

"I heard from our sole intelligence network that he's been dealing with human experimentations… but I have no idea what he's really up to."

"I have a hunch, but I'm not so sure… and about our "sole" intelligence network… are you talking about—"

"…The Midnight Messenger? Yes."

"I see… since when did he relay that information to you?"

"Hmm… if I remember correctly… Around 9 months ago."

"But that's —"

"…The exact same time when the war started? Yes."

"Did the messenger say anything else?"

"Yeah… and it told me of a murder… and it happened, exactly as he described it. But I didn't believe it at all at first. I really thought the messenger was some weird guy on crack."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes… the murders of the Elite Guards of Payon. That's why I decided to go there in the first place. I was fascinated how the Messenger relays predictions and gives humanity a chance to counter it."

"Giving advanced warning… just like those phantom thieves who send messages on when they'll exactly strike, to taunt the authorities?"

"You get the picture."

Suddenly, a strong shockwave was beating against the hill the couple was hiding in. As they peeked outside the cavern's entrance, dozens upon dozens of soldiers, the very ones that pursued them, were torn apart as if they were paper rinsed with acid. The shockwave scorched the hill's surface, killing all the remaining plant life in the area, and adding more soil to the sands of the desert.

**Southwest Geffen Flatlands, 8km from Prontera West Gate, 10:49 PM**

After what seemed like hours, Gin slowly crept back towards the forest, leaving Grey and her husband to finish their personal business. She had to help the other members of the Desert Party, even if it meant abandoning her husband's side. It was a very difficult decision for her, but she had to. "If my husband was still "alive", then he'll surely suggest the same thing." she told herself over and over.

She kept running faster, but something stopped her before crossing the rocky riverbank where she almost fell before. A great shockwave surged through the forest, instantly turning the flatlands into a huge crater, killing all plant and animal life. Looking back behind her, Gin focused her eyes on the source of the shockwave.

Standing on the middle of the bloody spring was her husband who has now transformed into The Divider, the premature form of the Great Demon, Morroc. It was holding something… no, someone in its hands. Grey was being suffocated by the grasp of the legendary monster that massacred and totaled and entire town according to the local stories. Unable to react to the scene happening within her line of sight, Gin's legs grew weak and eventually gave way, until her body slumped into the sand.

The Divider then tore Grey's legs one by one, smiling every time The Blur screamed in pain. Thick, dark red blood was covering The Divider's huge hands. Pointing its razor-sharp claws at The Blur's head, it picked on it for a second, and then stopped.

Then The Divider, now a just a mere shadow of a Stalker who was just trying to redeem himself, crossed the line between insanity and total corruption.

In a quarter of a second, The Divider rapidly buried its claws, which were strong enough to cut Promeon, the hardest material in Midgard, towards The Blur's heart. Grey spewed out great amounts of blood, and then vomited some more. But there was something unsettling about Grey. He was smiling… no, he was laughing hysterically.

Tired of The Blur's noise, The Divider opened its free palm to reveal its claws. Gleaming in the moonlight, the claws reflected the image of Grey clearly. Taking one last look at the person who ruined his life, The Divider deliberately spit unto The Blur's face.

The Blur continued laughing hysterically and manically, annoying The Divider to the fullest. Reaching its threshold, the Premature Morroc quickly swiped The Blur's head cleanly. Seconds later, pools of blood flowed through The Divider's hands. Taking a look at the remaining body parts of The Blur on its hand, The Divider crushed the remaining pieces and threw them away without hesitation.

Grey was no more.

As Gin continued to witness the insanity that was happening right in front of her eyes, she noticed something off about The Divider's behavior. It was pointing its snout upward. From her point of view, it looked like that The Divider smelled something. Turning towards her, The Divider then jumped towards her location in a single bound, and landed softly, taking care to not disturb the sand.

Looking at Gin's eyes, The Divider released a growl that could mean that there was still a little trace of humanity inside it. A little trace of who it once was. It then left and sped up towards Prontera.

"Is he… looking for the Ancient Material?" Gin asked to herself as she attempted to stand. "But… why? What would he do with it? He couldn't be planning to —"

Then the thought dawned upon her.

"No. Don't do it, Red… Please, don't!" she screamed horrifically. Sobbing, she made it to the other side of the riverbank and sped towards the same direction The Divider went. "If can stop him… then maybe…"

**Payon Forest, 7km from Payon Castle, 10:49 PM**

After the Midnight Messenger left, a man in his early thirties frantically went out of a dilapidated tavern's door; he had long, dark unruly hair, and was notably blind in his left eye. The man ran as fast as he could towards Payon Castle, carrying a large and thick tome. He panted as he ran, losing his breath as he went up a steep slope overlooking the castle. "Something has to be done immediately…" he murmured. "…in order to avert a catastrophe… something must be done."

Racing downwards the steep hill, the half-blind man was stopped on his tracks by a shockwave so strong that it was able to obliterate the expanse of the forest into dust. "This makes "sliding" quite easier!" he exclaimed, picking up his tome, he continued running towards his destination. Eric, the ex-Grim Librarian of Juno was amused.

"Sliding" in front of the Castle a few minutes later, the ex-Librarian smirked.

**Kim Yin's Royal Suite, Payon Castle, 25km from Prontera Castle 10:52 PM**

Blinded by rage, Prince Kim Yin destroyed his prized furniture and then issued the Royal Butler, Yi Chen, to fetch the Princess, his older half-sister, Shi Yin. Arriving a few minutes after the summons, Prince Kim Yin called her half-sister to come closer.

The blonde and green-eyed Princess walked briskly towards the Prince who was sitting at the edge of his bed. Asking her to sit beside him, she immediately complied. The Prince immediately broke into tears while it grabbed the Princess's robes. Clutching in tightly, the Princess couldn't help but feel pity for the young and inexperienced Prince.

"Look at what you've done, my Prince…" the Princess started. "You acted before thinking, that's why you got hurt before learning."

"You don't know what I've been through earlier!" the Prince reasoned out. "You should have been there! Where were you when I needed you?"

"That's why women never came to understand you, nor love you. You always blame other people for your mistakes."

"That's the way things are! I'm superior to them in every aspect!"

"Superior? No, my brother… you misunderstood your position as Prince in the first place. You don't understand anything at all."

"You're the one who doesn't understand! You bitch!"

"You take that back, or I'll—"

A sudden, strong ground tremor caught the Princess off her balance. The Prince used this opportunity to bend his half-sister's will. Pushing her half-sister down on the bed, the Prince sat on top of her immediately.

"…Or what? Is there anything else you could do instead of being that Painter's bitch? Huh?"

Unfazed, the Princess gripped her half-brother's wrists tightly.

"Sei is far from you and your impulsiveness! He knows how to love and care for a single person. Even though it's totally one-sided… but you… you force yourself to everyone!"

"That's because no one will accept me as who I am, so I shall force them to!"

"That's not the way to do it!"

"This is the only way I know how it's done!"

"Then you're truly pathetic! No wonder the Heiress of Revaughn tortured you earlier…"

"Don't you DARE say that name in front of me… that slut… she will pay!"

"Pay? But it's entirely your fault!"

"MY fault? It isn't my fault that she was such a slut!"

"You and your stupid mind! Will you grow up, Kim?"

"No, you grow up, elder sis, grow and mature more for me, so I can fondle you instead!"

"Why you sick little—"

"…Pervert? Who knows? I can't even understand myself, so who are you to label me?"

"People like you who don't care about people's feelings will eventually rot away in loneliness..."

"Feelings? I don't care about other people's feelings! I will satisfy my own ends till I drop dead! I will have whatever I want when I want it!"

"Then you're not making sense at all."

"I won't take advice from a painter's slut."

A slap landed squarely on the Prince's left cheek, balancing the redness that was on the other side, which was previously slapped to no end by a certain heiress.

"Wh-what was that for?" the Prince demanded an explanation.

"You really push me to the limit." The Princess replied immediately.

"It's not MY fault you're such an airhead."

"Think again, younger brother."

"Correction. HALF-brother."

"That doesn't make any difference. After all... I'm—"

A loud knock from behind the suite's door distracted the two half-siblings from their conversation.

"It's Chen again, huh?" the Princess told the Prince mockingly. "He sure does appear on the wrong moment."

"I almost had you." the Prince taunted his half-sister. "You can thank Chen later. What is it, Chen?"

"There's a stranger outside the castle who wishes to seek your audience! He says it's an emergency!" Chen replied from behind the door.

"Tell him to wait. I'm going to see that guy who ruined my rest."

"As you wish, Sire. He also said something about the earlier ground tremor that shook the entire city. It seems he knows something about it. I suggest we ask him about it."

"I get it. Just… leave us be for a while. I'll get to him in a moment."

After the butler left, the Prince, still sitting on top of his half-sister's thighs, leaned forward to caress her rosy cheeks.

"I saw what you did there, sis…" he taunted the Princess.

"Oh really? How?" the Princess answered with a mocking voice. "Don't tell me you were peeping?"

"Peeping? Nah, I was just fooling around… don't tell me you really did something back in your room?"

"And what if I did? What will you do?"

"Since you managed to enjoy yourself alone, why not share the feeling… with me?"

"As if I'll let you…"

"Then I'll force you. I'll rape you if I have to."

"Let's see you try. If you want to look like a bloody pulp just like earlier…"

"Heh… you sure are tough… for a painter's slut."

"You insult him again, and I'll make your life miserable."

"Aren't you miserable yourself? You jerk off at the sight of that perverted painter!"

"He paints out of rage because of a single woman! Isn't that lovely?"

"Lovely? That is SICK!"

"Then what about you? What can you say about yourself?"

"Why compare me to that lowlife?"

"Because you're both males…"

"Huh?"

"Males are fragile beings. They hate the things that crush their ego. That's what drives them to compete with other males because they perceive them as a threat."

"And where did you learn that?"

"I don't need to tell you, brother. Research."

"Blah, blah… I'll jam those books of your inside your slit and make you drown in ecstasy."

"That's some big words coming from a boy who is PRETENDING to be a man."

"Why you—"

"Hmpf, now, if you'll excuse me…"

Taking the Prince's wrists with a solid grip, the Princess deliberately led her half-brother's hands towards her right breast. She pushed his hand deeper to her bossom, and then moved it around, making the Prince feel her entire curvature.

"So, how does a woman's breast feel?" the Princess asked.

"…Soft… as I expected them to be…" answered the stammering Prince.

"Do you have any idea why women's breasts are so soft?"

"I don't think about things like that. Once I get the chance, I'll play with those soft bags of meat."

"Then you'll never understand a woman."

**Prontera Castle, Commander inside Hyatt's Inner Fortification, 10:55 PM**

After Malchuz recovered from Cornelia's "morale boost", Hyatt decided to evacuate immediately inside the fortress. Giving specific orders to Cornelia, Malchuz, and Onnie, the group split into two groups. One was to remain inside to finish a VERY important business, and another to regroup the surviving soldiers.

"What are going to do with THIS thing, Cornelia?" Malchuz questioned, wondering about the glowing piece of Ancient Material –Promeon, that was now generating intense heat. "H-hey… you're not even feeling sweaty?"

"If I feel sweaty, then I'll have to take my clothes off." Cornelia snapped back. "… and I only do that for Hyatt."

"Yeah, that's too bad… Whatever he wanted us to make out of this material… he sure wasn't joking, huh?"

"It's only a matter of time, according to him. You felt that shockwave earlier, right?"

"Yeah. That was… stronger than my… spell…" Malchuz admitted slowly, recalling the sheer strength of a shockwave that happened minutes ago, forcing them to leave the storage room as Hyatt ordered.

"Still, we shouldn't waste time. You can control fire, right?"

"Of course! That's basic knowledge for every mage!"

"Then create a fireball. I'll tell you the specifications so there is no mistake in the entire process."

"This is one of the rare moments where you CAN trust me, huh?"

"R-right… you've gotten more perceptive, eh?"

"I think I can finally understand you better, Cornelia."

"Stop hitting on me, you pervert…"

"Who's the pervert? You just kissed me as a joke earlier!"

"I had to! Or else you'll be still be drained from using that spell!"

"Figures… yeah. Thank you."

"Wow, you just thanked me. That's something new."

"Now that you mention it… haha… did I just do that?"

"But that doesn't pay your debts, understand?"

"I still need to pay for my robes?"

"Of course! With MONTHLY interest!"

**Prontera Castle, Infantry Training Grounds, 10:57 PM**

The Desert Party's mission to steal Commander Hyatt's weapon was stalled by the intrusion of a previously defeated enemy. Immediately deploying his men to attack the Sura General, Vince the Vandalizer took something out of his pocket and smiled sickly… far indescribable from his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor.

"These are the only weapons we need." he chuckled to himself. He then passed these weapons to his comrades, throwing it at them while they launched towards the air to attack the Sura General, Kier, on all directions. "Make good use of it, guys! There's only a limited supply of ink left!"

"Ha! With this, we're unstoppable!" yelled Athet, who dove in head first towards the general, graving its right cheek.

"Impressive… for a monkey, that is…" Kier laughed at their actions mockingly. "You'll need better equipment than just THAT!"

"Oh… just watch and learn from the masters!" Endzeit dived in next, splashing ink on the General's left wrist. "Gotcha!"

"Quit running around, you… monkeys!" the General screamed as he launched a wide attack using all of his spheres. The ground shook terribly, crumbling what was left of the previous explosion. He then focused his Spheres to target another incoming Stalker, who was now diving straight towards him… and deliberately clung on his head.

"Get off me! What are you doing, you monkey?" the General ranted, trying to unclamp the Stalker who is now hugging his head tightly. Seconds later, Vince ordered his men to splash ink all over the General.

"This sure is fun!" Mhart added. He then tossed the ink bucket to Aicker.

"Enjoying the moment, huh?" Aicker remarked to his comrade. "There's still one thing left to finish this stubborn oaf."

"ARE YOU READY?" Vince sounded off, signaling the rest of the group to focus their energies on the splashed ink all over the General, who was now unable to react immediately due to the "Stalker" covering hugging its face, preventing him from breathing and being able to see the surrounding area.

"Now!" Vince finally ordered. As the splashed ink took shape to what looked like a spider web, the General was now unable to move totally. The "Stalker" on top of the General's head was counting numbers since it clung on the General.

"What are you blabbering about?" was the General's reaction to the "Stalker" who was still counting backwards.

"Five… four… three… two… one!" it said.

What happened next totally shocked the General, literally and figuratively. The "Stalker" exploded with tremendous force, trapping him on the ground below as he began to sink on the pile of rubble made by the explosion. "What are you?" the General asked the "Stalker" who just exploded. Smiling, it replied. "I'm… a bomb. See ya!"

Another explosion finally hit the General, nailing him definitely on the ground. General Kier's head was the only part of his body remaining visible above the ground.

"So? How does being "buried alive" feel?" Vince said mockingly, stepping on the General's head. "It took a lot of teamwork to bring you down, though…"

"You… cheaters…" General Kier grumbled under his breath.

"Cheaters?" Mhart snapped immediately, rejecting the notion. "There are no rules in war, did you forget that?"

After laughing at the "almost-buried" General, the group then left and pressed forward towards their destination. Climbing a steep stairway towards Hyatt's Inner fortification, Aicker saw a figure standing on the top of the castle walls.

"There! I see him! It's Commander Hya—"

A quick and deliberate shot pierced through the Stalker-Mage's shoulders, having enough force to pin the agile Stalker on the wall. Another shot was fired. Then another. And other.

Nobody from the Desert Party remained standing on the ground… for they were all hanging on the castle walls, ALMOST impaled by Commander Hyatt's arrows.

"Hmpf. Is that the fastest you can dodge?" he questioned the group mockingly. "Then you need more training…" he continued. Stretching his arms, Hyatt drew another arrow and tucked it on the bowstring.

Hyatt was now aiming on the member's heads.


	13. Chapter 12

**Psychographics**

Chapter 12: You Get No Points for Guessing

**?, Lord Marcus' Hidden Territory, 11:15 PM**

Another page flipped open as a seventy-something man with white-reddish hair turned his giant tome slightly to its side. Smiling with utmost content, he excitedly turned another page, waved his hand over it, and watched as the page glow with just the right lighting for viewing. His eyes were showing much enthusiasm from the things he was seeing inside the tome. Another page was flipped open, and this time, the old man's expression became stern. Seemingly not amused from what he just saw, he closed the giant tome, and bound it with a magic seal.

"The Light of Heaven had warned me in advance that these events would transpire… But I never thought it would be like this…" the enthusiastic old man whispered to himself. "If I decide to watch that spectacle now, everyone's fingers will eventually point towards me. No, the Light himself will be found guilty if I watch how the events tonight will unfold."

With a heavy sigh, the old man opened a dark-colored portal, and disappeared into the void.

"Have fun during my absence…" were the old man's final audible words.

**Morroc Castle, 146km from Prontera, 11:20 PM**

Voices of panicked soldiers echoed along all the corridors of the castle. News about the sudden deaths of two of the four Lords of Morroc spread immediately amongst the ranks, their morale greatly affected. Another Lord was reported to be severely injured, but was subsequently reported to have gone missing. Minutes after the explosion that was sighted happening in Prontera, another blow was added to the depleting morale of the soldiers of Morroc. Lord Marcus was nowhere to be found within the Castle's vicinity.

In a desperate attempt to take advantage of the situation, a coup by the immediate subordinates of the Lords took place within the Castle walls. Forcibly entering the throne room where the Lords discussed political matters in privacy, the said initiators of the coup found a thick tome placed elegantly on the Lord's Table.

Confiscating the artifact, the coup initiators headed towards the thrones where the Lord's once sat upon. Laughing amongst themselves, they suddenly noticed an unwelcome visitor suddenly appearing in front of them. The visitor had a misty composition and was notably blind on the left eye.

Before any of the initiators could alert the guards, the misty figure outstretched its arms sideward and chanted a spell in the Sacred Tongue. Instantly, initiators of the coup became sand, filling the cracks on the throne room's floor.

Chanting another spell loudly, the misty figure then disappeared from the scene. As guards stormed in inside the throne after hearing a loud chant, they were all surprised to find the throne room's floor covered by a giant circle wherein Sacred Letters were inscribed and cut clearly on the stone floor.

Baffled by the situation, the guards decided to search the room thoroughly. During the search however, the giant circle revealed itself as a magical seal and glowed eerily to the surprise of the castle guards. With a blinding light, everyone inside the room vanished in thin air. It took only another few seconds before the entire Castle shook tremendously, threatening to crumble.

Then the Castle's foundation gave way.

Soldiers fled for their lives as Morroc Castle was consumed by the desert sand and crumbled to pieces with every passing second. After the dust had settled, a great dark hole was visible where the Castle previously was.

**Payon Castle Guest Lounge, 11:23 PM**

After waiting for a few minutes, Prince Kim Yin, accompanied by her half-sister Princess Shi Yin, finally met the visitor that intruded their "business" earlier. Sitting on the lounge's sofa was a robed man with dark and curly hair. The Princess immediately recognized the man, noting the thirty-something man's left blind eye.

"I assume that you're Eric the ex-Grim Librarian, am I right?" Princess Shi Yin questioned the visitor. "Don't ask me how I knew who you are… I just researched the history of Midgard thoroughly."

"Hmm… it seems that you're no ordinary Princess, after all." replied the ex-librarian. "… and if I have to guess, you already know the purpose of my arrival, right?"

"What are you two blabbering about?" asked the Prince, his face visibly confused. "How in the world did you two know each other? Don't tell me you sold your—"

Placing her index finger on her half-brother's lips, the Princess warned him to remain silent until their conversation with the blind ex-librarian was over. Refusing to cooperate, the Princess personally led Eric to her room as a personal guest. To the dismay of the Prince, he was now left alone on the lounge with nothing to do at all.

After entering the Princess' room, Eric decided to ask the Princess how she got to know his identity. Taking a tome out of her personal bookshelf, the Princess showed the ex-librarian its cover. Filled with surprise, the ex-Librarian asked permission to touch the tome. Agreeing, the Princess handed the tome to Eric.

"This… this is… my…" he stuttered. "It's been… a long while since I saw this book. Where did you find it?"

"From a dungeon on Mt. Mjolnir… It just so happened that name and image of the book's author was on the second page. That is your diary, correct?"

"Yes… it is. It contains the most vivid memories I had when I was still in Juno, living as the greatest Grim Librarian. But things… terrible things happened."

"Odin punished you for leaking the Doomsday spell, right?"

"Yes. He told me that humans and gods were never meant to be equals."

"As expected from the gods… they are indeed arrogant."

"That, we cannot change, Princess. About my visit, however… I want to tell you something very urgent. I wish you and your half-brother's cooperation on this one. It is a matter of grave importance."

"Is this related to the ground tremor earlier?"

"Very."

"I'm listening… please relay your information."

"Well then, as we speak, The Divider has awakened."

"The Divider? But that's…"

"The Premature form of the Great Demon Morroc? Yes. It's currently heading to Prontera, attempting to grab a piece of Ancient Material to fully restore itself."

"We have to do something, immediately!"

"I know that, Princess… that's the reason I traveled here. I need both of you and your half-brother to help in order to stop The Divider's progress before it's too late."

"I understand. Allow me to talk to him and we'll come back when were ready. This might take a while, though."

"Please make haste, Princess… time is of the essence.

After leaving the ex-Librarian alone inside her room, the Princess dashed towards the lounge and told the matter to him. Meanwhile, the ex-Librarian opened his diary yet again and waved his hand over the pages. What he saw within it made him sweat heavily. After a few minutes, the royal siblings returned, and Eric then relayed his instruction to both of them.

"That's all we need to do? That's easy…" the Prince sighed. "I thought we're going to have a sleepover, seriously."

"You understand, don't you?" Eric asked, to the siblings.

"Yes, of course. Let us proceed and get this over with." The Princess announced.

After a few minutes, the three held hands together and began to concentrate. Glowing with a bluish light, the entire group then disappeared into nothingness, leaving the room completely vacant.

**West Prontera Gate, 850m from Prontera Castle, 11:39 PM**

Soldiers and citizens alike fled for the streets at the sight of a dark-colored creature that broke the doors of the West Gate effortlessly. Reserved troops rallied towards the said creature in order to kill it, but to no avail. Leaving a pool of blood in its wake, the creature started to walk slowly towards Commander Hyatt's Garrison, the only structure left standing after a great explosion leveled this side of Prontera.

Chanting prayers in Sacred Language, the dark-colored creature with a flowing, red mane stopped its actions and instinctively turned behind it as it heard the wailing voice of a certain pregnant woman, who was able to follow its trail considering the sheer distance it traveled to get to Prontera immediately.

"Please… don't do this, Red…" the pregnant woman pleaded to the dark-colored creature. With glowing, red eyes, the being responded by swaying its head from side to side, indicating its unwillingness to cooperate with her. A few seconds passed by and the dark-colored creature turned its back on the pregnant woman and left for its target destination.

The pregnant woman, unfazed by the creature's actions, began to travel towards the other side of the Commander's garrison. As soon as the woman saw the giant crater that surrounded the garrison like a moat, she began to wonder how huge the explosion earlier was, but was stopped short when she saw the outline of a Ranger who was obviously aiming to a human below.

"No! I need to be there for them, too!" the pregnant woman shouted in despair. She had to make it in time, before the Ranger releases its deadly arrow, and before The Divider can grab a piece of Ancient Material for its own.

The woman ran with all her might towards the castle, down the deep crater, and jumped from platform to platform in order to reach the Ranger, Commander Hyatt.

"I'm almost there! Please keep holding on, my comrades!" she told herself as she jumped from platform to platform. "Just a few more steps left! I'm almost…!"

**Commander Hyatt's Inner Fortification, 11:50 PM**

"Ah… Finally! It's finished! Thank you very much, Malchuz!" a pretty, purple-haired smith cried in excitement and gratitude. "We can use this when THAT thing comes here!" she yelled as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Oh gosh… look at it glow…" marveled a heavily-built High Wizard. "Is that really…"

"This is Mjolnir, a weapon of the gods. No mortal smith ever succeeded in forging it with Promeon… until now!"

"That's just great! But why doesn't Mjolnir look like a hammer? I knew it was supposed to be a hammer… but why is your "Mjolnir" shaped like an axe?"

"I thought you did your research, Malchuz… Mjolnir's form changes according to its wielder's personality!"

"I see… I missed that one. So, what do we do now?"

"We'll head out there after a few minutes. I need to change my clothes."

**Prontera Castle, Infantry Training Grounds, 11:57 PM**

Still pinned on the Garrison's walls for about an hour, the group of Stalkers finally realized that Commander Hyatt had no intention to kill them outright. The Commander still wanted answers, but waited this long… an HOUR long constructing the questions carefully in order not to miss any details.

Below them sat a Warg that didn't snarl at all. Seemingly disinterested on biting anything unless ordered to do so, it gave the Stalkers a sigh of relief.

An hour ago, the Commander fired consecutive shots that were powerful enough to pin the entire Desert Party on the wall. Almost whiting out due to the shock and recoil of the wall hitting his back, Vince gasped for air and screamed in pain as his left arm was literally impaled by a thick arrow shaft. Astoundingly, the shaft didn't break despite Vince's weight.

Seeing the Desert Party in agony, the Commander then raised his bow and arrow, aiming for any of the member's heads… then fired.

As the Stalkers screamed for their lives, Vince began to act out of instinct. As the arrow sped towards Aicker's head, he swung around the arrow's shaft, using his injury as a pivot, then kicked back on the wall to gain more speed. Rotating at just the right speed, Vince caught the arrow before it hit Aicker between the eyes.

Realizing their leader's actions, the group then saw blood trickle on Aicker's nose bridge. Finding the Stalker-Mage alive, the rest focused their eyes a bit upward.

And then they saw it.

Bleeding profusely on the left foot was their leader, Vince the Vandalizer. Enduring the pain both coming from the arrow shaft pinning him on the arm and the arrow stuck in his foot, Vince openly mocked the Commander for being lenient.

Amused, Hyatt decided to let the group stay alive for a while and left, implying that he didn't hit them on their vital spots. He wanted to question them LATER. But seriously, according to the Stalkers, hanging on the wall with their arms or palms pinned with arrow shafts for an hour is a grueling ordeal.

An hour has passed, and the Commander returned… holding Rudra in his hands. He then began to question the leader of the group, whose foot was still bleeding. Placing an arrow on his bow string, he aimed for Vince's head.

"Tell me, Stalker… where is your leader?" Hyatt started asking with a commanding voice. "Where is the holder of the Criteria?"

"Heh… I have no idea who you're talking about…" Vince answered back with a mocking voice. "You see, pal… I AM the leader of these lovely dogs…"

An arrow flew straight towards Vince and grazed his right cheek. The arrow audibly stuck itself on the solid wall.

"I missed you on purpose. Answer me like an idiot again, and you're good as dead." the Commander told the Vandalizer.

"Damn… I can't attack him like this…" he told himself while gritting his teeth.

"Tell me… where Red Viele'au Sylenfeit is, and I'll let you go."

"… he isn't with us anymore…"

"What did you say?"

"Red isn't with us anymore! He left us this morning!"

"A likely story…"

"It's the truth, you idiot!"

"Hmp. Very well. I will change the question. Why did he leave you?"

"I… I am… We are ordered not say anything about our leader's intentions and whereabouts. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Why are you here?"

"None of your business, pal…"

"Why you son of a —"

"Gin!"

"H-huh? What the—"

Looking behind him, Hyatt realized that the remaining guards he had were all dead. Standing on the bloody mess of bodies was a pregnant woman carrying a blade emanating a dark aura, its glow giving away the fact that it was a cursed artifact weapon.

"Gin… Gin Sylenfeit, correct?" the Commander asked the pregnant Stalker. Gin nodded in agreement. Surprised at the sheer willpower of the woman, Hyatt asked her to rest for a while before he asked questions further.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I am in a hurry." Gin replied, refusing the offer.

"And why is that?" Hyatt questioned. "Is it about your husband? I heard he wanted to steal Rudra from me… after he found out that it was made of Promeon…"

"My weapon is made of Promeon as well… this is Tyrfing, as you can see."

"Impressive. I was beginning to wonder where your husband was…"

"He's… he's dead."

"What? Since when? How? Who did it?"

"Take a look over there… do you see it?" Gin said, pointing on the Garrison's far-off entrance. "Do you know what THAT is?"

"It can't be… THAT thing the Holy Father warned me earlier this afternoon."

"Do you now realize what happened? I guess you're quick about these things…"

"You're husband became The Divider? Heavens… no... I knew the Criteria's strength but not like this… Cornelia… she should have finished THAT weapon by now…"

"Hey, Gin!" Vince shouted at the female Stalker. "…could you please free us from here? The other guys have PASSED OUT already!"

Dashing immediately to the aid of her comrades, Gin's attention was caught by a Sura whose head was sticking out of the ground. It called out to her, asking assistance. She quickly refused, much to the disdain of the said individual. After freeing Vince and the rest of the group from the arrow shafts, Vince passed out after Gin relayed the things that had happened to their previous leader, and his eventual fate.

"They couldn't bear to watch it… so they chose to sleep instead." Gin told herself. "A very good choice indeed…"

"Hyatt! Hyatt! We're done! We've finished the weapon of the gods!" shouted a pretty smith, waving her arms at the sight of the Commander after leaving the inner fortifications of the garrison.

"How's the view there? You sure look gr—" said a heavily-built High Wizard, who immediately choked at the sight of a dark-colored being walking in the crater. "What is THAT? Is THAT what Hyatt warned us about?"

"I think so… if we need to kill it, then we have to prepare ourselves. Hyatt said it is a very strong opponent." Cornelia replied, her voice trembling a little.

"I wonder if my spell can damage a creature believed to be THAT strong…" Malchuz began to doubt his power. "It doesn't matter… I'll prove to the world that I am worthy as being "The Grandmaster" of Geffen. Haha…"

"It may be strong… but I'll make it realize that I'm way stronger." Cornelia assured herself, confident of her inhuman strength and resilence.

As the duo reached Hyatt, a trio of what looked like Royalty from Payon appeared on the platform where Hyatt and a female Stalker were discussing important matters. Two of the trio looked pretty familiar to the Commander, as he motioned a young male and an older female to his side. Hyatt was unable to recognize the third party member who was fixing the Warp Circle that the trio appeared from.

Inquiring why the Prince and Princess of Payon warped in his Garrison, Hyatt soon learned that they were also present to stop the advance of the dark-colored being who was now nearing the middle of the garrison's training grounds.

"Please… save him." Gin requested Hyatt. "Even if he wished you harm before, please do him the favor of giving his soul a chance of retribution."

"Understood. If we kill him, what will you do?" asked Hyatt, his voice a bit garbled. "He is your husband, after all…"

"He is not himself anymore. What's left of him right now is infinite rage lying dormant until the Spirit of Morroc fully awakens in him." Gin replied, tears falling from her eyes.

"That thing… is the premature form of the Great Demon Morroc." Cornelia noted to herself. "A worthy opponent for my hammer…" she said with a smile. Gin and Hyatt seemed to have understood her smile, as they both nodded to her, making her blush a little.

Malchuz took something out of his pockets and gave them to everyone present in the garrison platform.

"What are these?" Hyatt asked the High Wizard.

"Special battle gloves made with synthetic bradium." Malchuz explained. "It multiplies your strength by 5 times."

"Will this work on magic spells too?" asked the Prince and Princess of Payon at the same time. Malchuz nodded in agreement, making the siblings smile at each other… quite disturbingly.

"H-hey… where is Onnie?" Cornelia asked with a confused looked in her face. "I see the Stalker dudes resting at the platform ahead, but no sign of Onnie."

"I asked him to get some Holy Water…" Hyatt revealed. "…concentrated Holy Water."

"With all of you joining forces… please…" Gin sobbed, her voice getting inaudible. "…please free my husband from his fate. I… I promised to meet him in Asgard someday."

"Very well, lady…" Hyatt assured Gin. "We will separate Red's soul from that of Morroc's. Will that satisfy you?"

Gin nodded tearfully, unable to take his husband's suffering any longer. "Please… save his soul… and if possible… kill the spirit of Morroc so it may no longer threaten humanity's future…"

"I understand you…" Cornelia said to the pregnant female Stalker, patting her on the shoulders. "That's why I'm here to help."

"Sheesh… let's get this over with…" Prince Kim Yin snorted. "I want to go home immediately, lest I miss my beauty sleep…"

"Quit whining, you idiot!" replied the Princess, Shi Yin. "Eric the Librarian will be here to help us as well."

The rest of the group gasped in unison, and turned towards the middle-aged man who was blind in the left eye.

"You can't be…" Hyatt questioned the blind stranger, his voice filled with doubt.

"I am Eric, the ex-Grim Librarian of Juno…" the blind man introduced himself to the entourage. "I will assist you in this battle… for I care about the future of humanity."

"I see. Welcome aboard." Hyatt said, offering his hand towards the ex-librarian. Eric took Hyatt's hand gladly.

"W-wait… you can't be serious!" Malchuz exclaimed. "You're that guy… who gave me the secret to cast… the Doomsday spell!" he revealed.

"Are you that flimsy looking dork three years ago?" Eric asked the High Wizard, trying to confirm his memories. "You know… we will be related sooner or later after this battle."

"Related? What do you mean?" Malchuz asked, completely baffled by the ex-Librarian's staements. "What are you talking about?"

"You see… I am the father of the girl you are engaged to." Eric revealed to the High Wizard. The entire group, especially Cornelia, heard their very own jaws drop in surprise.

"Then I need to survive for that to happen." Malchuz finally said. "My future father-in-law is an ex-Librarian from Juno's Thought Library! How sweet is that?"

"Keep quiet, you dunce!" a voice said from behind the entourage. Cornelia turned back instinctively, for the voice was familiar to her. "Onnie! You're finally back!" she exclaimed to the well-combed Arch Bishop who was carrying bottles of Holy Water with him.

"Isn't that too much?" Hyatt asked his Arch Bishop friend. "… and you brought the most expensive brand…"

"It doesn't hurt to trust the leading brand of Holy Water once in a while…" he said jokingly. "Now… are we going to finish that premature form of Morroc or not?"

"We will strike when it starts to transform into Morroc himself." Hyatt suggested to the group.

"Isn't that more dangerous? We should attack him now, right?" Gin asked, wiping her tears. "Why do we need to wait for him to completely transform?"

"The Holy Father warned me in advance about this situation earlier this afternoon." Hyatt revealed. "He told me that Morroc is weakest during its period of transformation… where its scales will be so brittle… it can die once they are shattered.

**Prontera Castle, the King's Balcony, 12 MN**

"Enjoying the view?" a mocking voice came from behind King Tristan III. "Do you like the show I prepared for you?"

"Odin… you…" King Tristan tried to answer, holding his rage back. This was not the proper way of renewing things… in his opinion. "What have you done?"

"All I did was relay messages. I am the Midnight Messenger after all…"

"You influenced their actions… and it all led to this! What kind of a god are you?"

"That… human, is a pretty subjective question."

**Prontera Castle, Infantry Training Grounds, 12 MN**

The Divider's dark-colored body finally cracked to reveal that it was now growing scales. These are the very same scales that distinguish the Great Demon Morroc from any other creature in Midgard. The creature growled and groaned as if in pain of the metamorphosis in was undergoing to. The entourage located in the garrison's highest platform was not amused at the ghastly sight.

Signaling the start of the all-out assault, Hyatt fired five consecutive shots from his treasured weapon, the bow of Rudra. Knowing that any weapon made of Promeon was capable of damaging anything, including the gods, he had complete trust to every shot he fired at the premature demon.

To the Commander's surprise, no shot he struck actually connected.

The Divider effortlessly swiped the incoming arrows with a strong gust of wind generated from its giant paws, breaking the arrows instantly.

"Turns out that the arrows should be made of Promeon as well… but as far as the legends go, only the Divider can cut through it…" Hyatt commented at The Divider's special ability.

"You're arrows should go faster than usual, munchkin." Cornelia recommended to the Commander. "…Or else it'll just swipe them off."

Nodding in agreement, the Commander called his warg over and mounted on it. Cornelia and Malchuz on the other hand, rushed downwards the platform to face The Divider manually. Malchuz chanted on the way, preparing to unleash his god-like spell. The High Wizard focused his energies to specifically hit only The Divider, minimizing the damage done to any of the remaining structures.

"Dia… Omni… Ortho… Misa… Sicel… Dach… Anii… Yineh! Force of the unrelenting fire orb, bestow power upon me!... Force of the tormenting wind orb, guide my magic!... Force of the hallowing water orb, purify my strike!... Doomsday!""

"Malchuz, what are you doing?" Cornelia shouted frantically to the High Wizard. "We don't even know if it's undead!"

"Don't worry… I added all the possible elements to hit that thing as well…"

This time around, Malchuz was able to summon seven orbs of light, infused with the arcane elements. He stopped on his way dwon the platform, telling Cornelia to directly engage The Divider. "Don't worry! The spell won't drain your strength!" he assured the smith.

"That's all I need to know!" Cornelia answered back, and then headed straight towards the dark-colored creature whose scales were now growing faster and faster. "My strength… cannot be equated to anything, not even to a demon!"

Cornelia dashed in, getting within the premature demon's range. Raising her giant axe upward, she aimed at the demon's neck. "No one can beat me!" she screamed.

"Sir Eric!" Princess Shi Yin called out to the ex-Librarian. "We're ready to create the seal that will separate the demon from its host's soul!"

"Very well…" the ex-Librarian chuckled. "It's time to get this over with."

Hyatt fired more shots at the exact moment Cornelia was about to hit the demon's neck. The arrows sped faster than before, threatening to hit the demon squarely on the side of its head.

Then something went wrong. Terribly wrong.

The Divider swiped Cornelia before she can even touch its neck with Mjolnir, and gripped her so tightly that Cornelia screamed louder than she previously did. Seeing the incoming arrows, The Divider deliberately threw Cornelia towards the arrows' trajectory, threatening to hit the smith and killing her instantly should all of the arrows hit her vital organs.

"Cornelia! No!" Malchuz screamed. "Damn it, I need to maintain stationary for this spell!"

Onnie swooped down to grab hold of Cornelia, but Hyatt jumped on the Arch Bishop's back, and then had his warg jump in front of him to act as another platform. Just as Hyatt reached his warg's back, The Divider released a giant blast of energy to hit the Commander.

Within seconds before the arrows threaten to hit Cornelia, Hyatt changed his direction and kicked his warg to the side, saving it from the blast. He then grabbed hold of his lover, wrapped the bruised smith in his arms, and landed on the floor without a scratch. Onnie immediately erected a Holy Barrier to withstand the energy blast, protecting him and the three people who now began to cast a soul-unbinding spell.

Seeing that everyone was still safe, Malchuz decided to unleash his fury immediately. "It's time for my turn!" he exclaimed with glee. "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"

The seven glowing orbs of energy coalesced into a huge glowing ball of light now floating directly above The Divider. Before it could react, the glowing ball of immense energy focused its beam downwards to squarely hit the foul creature.

The first blast from the Doomsday spell struck downwards.

A blinding white flash engulfed the entire garrison, pushing Hyatt and Cornelia a short distance from their previous landing location. Onnie maintained the barrier to shield the others, in case they weren't able to withstand the sheer force of the blast.

Gin kept silent and closed her eyes, seemingly praying to the gods for retribution for both of her and her husband's imminent fate. "Please… please…" she repeated over and over. "Please… save him from his suffering…."

After the dust had settled, Malchuz shouted with glee. "It's gone! The Divider's gone! I told you it couldn't surv—"

Malchuz's celebration was ALSO premature, similar to the demon in front of him. "It can't be! That blast has multiplied in strength! How can it survive?" the High Wizard complained in frustration. "Arrrghhhhh!"

The Divider then sped up towards Malchuz, threatening to slice him up with its claws.

"No, you don't!" Onnie lunged towards the demon, and deliberately sprayed the entire contents of his bottles— Holy Water. "Damn it, Malchuz! I thought you can fend off for yourself! You're would-be father in law might back out of the engagement of you fail here!"

"Shut up, gramps!" Malchuz answered back. "I'm going to kill The Divider, if that's the last thing I'll do! I'm ready for another blast!"

Before The Divider reached Malchuz, Onnie sprayed another bottle of Holy Water on the demon's scaly skin. It suddenly stopped moving, and the growled extensively. White smoke was coming out of its skin. It crouched, indicating that it was in pain. "It worked! Damn it, it worked!" Onnie told the entire group. "Immerse your weapons with Holy Water, everyone! It hurts the damn beast!"

Cornelia got up and yelled at the Arch Bishop. "Two bottles on the double!" Onnie immediately threw two bottles towards Hyatt and Cornelia. But before the bottles were even halfway through, the premature demon swiped the two bottles towards a different trajectory, planning to hit the walls and break.

"That's the only two left! It's our last hope of killing this thing!" Onnie shouted frantically. "Get it!"

Within a quarter of a second, Cornelia dashed forward, kicked the demon on the thigh as leverage, and flew towards the bottles to secure their only hope to make it kneel. The Divider, now visibly angered by the entire groups actions, sped up and followed Cornelia as she was about to get the Holy Water bottles.

"No!" Hyatt screamed as he fired eight shots at once, aiming for the demon's head.

Hitting the wall, Cornelia managed to save the Holy water bottles and threw one immediately to Hyatt. The two then sprinkled the remaining liquid to their weapons, infusing them with the power to hurt the premature demon… badly.

The earlier shots that Hyatt fired caught the demon off guard, the arrows now embedded on its feet and arms. It was now pinned on the floor as if grounded by gravity.

"We're ready!" the trio of seal-makers shouted from above. "Let's finish this!" they shouted in chorus.

A gigantic seal covered the garrison floor, glowing with ethereal light. Hyatt fired another shot again this time hitting the demon on the snout. "Damn, I missed it!"

Cornelia sped up to land the killing blow on the demon. Raising Mjolnir with all her might, she squarely smacked the demon's head with earth-shaking force, pushing Hyatt and Malchuz back. "Finish it now! The demon's spirit will just escape from the host!"

"Got that!" Eric confirmed.

"Of twin alignments, two souls shall join… Of unbalanced forces they shall break." The trio began to chant the soul-unbinding spell.

"Fill the void with light! Extract the essence of life and restore it! Maintain the balance within, and pin the burdens on the deepest caverns of the world!"

As the soul of the Premature Morroc tried to escape the seal, Onnie erected another barrier to prevent it from doing so.

"We got it! Haha! Now!" Malchuz exclaimed with delight. Firing another blast from the Doomsday spell, the focused energy squarely hit the escaping soul of the Premature Morroc, splitting its soul from that of its host.

"Take the black one!" Gin shouted at the group below as she lunged towards their location. "I'll take my husband's spirit on my own!"

Gin immediately broke through the barrier by slicing it with Tyrfing, and then proceeded to take Red's soul. "Since you lack a body to return to, I shall seal you within Tyrfing… so you'll never leave my side."

As the Premature Demon's soul was about to be eternally sealed, a misty figure appeared before the trio of seal makers, laughing maniacally. "So, Eric? Is this how far you will go to oppose my plans?"

"Odin? What in the—" Eric gasped in disbelief. Before he knew it, Odin broke of the Prince and Princess' formation and dismantled the seal.

"No! What are you doing?" Eric shouted, attracting the attention of everyone else below. "What else are you planning to do?"

"No! That's—" Hyatt stammered. "It's the Holy Father! What is he doing here?"

Before everyone else had the chance to react, the misty figure disappeared. The soul of the Premature Morroc however, fled amidst the confusion and sped towards the city of Morroc, right in the center of the gigantic hole where Morroc Castle once stood.

Unable to pursue the enemy, the entourage decided to regroup in order to discuss their future plans to finally defeat the Spirit of Morroc once and for all.

Meanwhile, another giant hole was forming in the middle of the Sograt Desert, consuming everything within its radius, even the desert sand. The land was then pockmarked with holes where dark energy was seeping out from an unknown source. Days after that fateful event, everyone who managed to see the giant hole was baffled about its true nature, until the citizens who were curious enough tried to cross it and was able to return. The gigantic hole was then dubbed as the Dimensional Gorge. The door to the New World was now finally open to all the citizens of Midgard.


	14. Epilogue

**Psychographics**

Epilogue

**The Condition of Midgard, 2 Days after Morroc's Escape**

The Great War that lasted for 9 months between the Kngdoms of Morroc and Prontera finally ended with an easy truce. The Lords of Morroc were no more, and its entire military was obliterated in the destruction that engulfed the Castle of Morroc out of existence. What remains is but a handful of soldiers who managed to stay alive throughout the entire war while staying in the frontlines.

The Great Demon Morroc was now the new threat that engulfed Midgard. Nobody knew when it will decided to come back to attack the world. However, as a result of the Great Demon's escape, a new portal, called the Dimensional Gorge, had opened up in the middle of Sograt Desert. Scholars and adventurers were sent to investigate what was on the other side.

**The Kingdom of Prontera**

Prontera withdrew all of its forces and focused on the restoration of both cities. King Tristan III saw to it that the repairs be done immediately, giving orders to Commander Hyatt as the leader of the restoration team. Cornelia was NOT amused, noting that she wanted to get married with Hyatt immediately. Hyatt dismissed the idea from her head by asking… "Do you remember the bet we made about Malchuz?" to his lover. "You don't mean… we will wait for him?" Cornelia responded in shock. Hyatt answered with a smile. "If we get married ahead of Malchuz, you will pay me 10 million zennies." Cornelia pouted, but gave in to her lover's demands. She decided to help the restoration team as well.

Kier's squad was relocated back to Mt. Mjolnir to assist the returning villagers.

**The Kingdom of Payon**

The Royal Family extended help for the restoration, having the Prince and Princess at the helm of the action. The Prince commissioned the Royal Painter to make signs for the people to be able to read and follow.

Malchuz, that muscled-bound wimp of a High Wizard, was going to get married in six months time to the daughter of Eric, the ex-Grim Librarian of Juno.

"You sure did well, back there…" Eric remarked to his would-be son-in-law. "Without your help, we couldn't have—"

"That's ok, pops…" Malchuz replied. "Don't sweat it. I just did what I could…"

"You're pretty humble, I must say. Hey… isn't that—?"

Ahead in the distance was the silhouette of a young lady, fair skinned and seemingly frail at first glance. She walked towards Malchuz, and then proceeded to acknowledge his father's presence. She then began to speak to the muscle-bound High Wizard.

"Thank you… very much… for helping… my Father, Malchuz…" the girl spoke slowly "It's just a matter of time before we get marr—"

"Don't get nervous, my dear… I didn't change at all. See?"

"Hahaha…does that mean you still get to hit around girls when I'm not looking?"

"I've grown up already… so I managed to remove that aspect."

"I see… then I promise to be the perfect wife for you, Malchuz."

"Don't get worked up, ok? I want you to look your best when we get married."

"I promise, my dear."

Interrupting their moment, Eric gave something to the High Wizard. "Here, take it. It's yours. Take care of that, ok?" he said.

"What is this, pops?" Malchuz wondered. "I've never seen a tome like this… woah—"

"It contains sacred spells as well. All from Juno's Library of Thoughts."

"Oh my… this will take twice the energy I have to cast…"

"Don't worry… you can do it. Besides, you need to take care of HER now."

"Yeah. Thank you for trusting me her welfare, Dad."

"Haha… and I shall call you my son, right? Haha… it feels great. Take care of her. Make her happy."

"I promise. I'll do everything for her. Everything I will do from now on is for Mellissa."

**The Kingdom of Morroc**

Returning to their Guild, the group consisting of Vince, Athet, Mhart, Aicker, Endziet, and Gin vowed to never speak about the incident to anyone but the council. Everyone was looking for Red, but they all "confirmed" that he died of diabetes… or something else among those lines.

Six months will eventually have passed, and Gin gave birth to a boy. In accordance to his husband's final wish, the boy was named after him.

"Redschtly" was the name of the boy according to her husband.

Tyrfing still held Red's soul, unknown to everyone but Gin and the other five Stalkers.

**Somewhere in the Border of Payon Forest and Sograt Desert**

Cath and Kennedy was able to reach this distance by warping from their last location during the explosion in Sograt Desert, minutes before their hiding place was totally destroyed. Resting for a moment under the shade of fir trees, the tow noticed a figure walking heavily towards them, its arms outstretched, seemingly looking for help.

Then the figure collapsed in front of them.

"This… isn't he? —" Kennedy spoke in shock and amazement. "This man is…"

"One of the Lords of Morroc… and he's injured!" Cath exclaimed.

The injured Lord clutched the wrist of the Earl of Dresden, speaking slowly and clearly.

"The great… Lord Marcus… is missing as well…I'm… going to…. find him…Revenge… must be…" the Lord said before collapsing in the Earl's arms.

A cold breeze brushed through their location. The couple acted quickly to tend to the Lord's wounds.

"What is Lord Marcus up to?" Kennedy asked his fiancée. "There's something wrong here."

"I think so too." Cath replied. "Do you think that he escaped because he knew that the Castle was going to be destroyed and engulfed in that giant hole?"

**Asgard**

Odin sat on his throne, quietly listening to his ravens. "Thank you for the information, Huginn and Muninn." He said.

Another sick smile formed in the god's face.


End file.
